Unparalleled
by o0 Snow Flower 0o
Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, while Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir. When their lives cross, they’ll find that some worlds aren’t so different after all.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Do you like cheese? NO.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Prologue**

"It's over." A candle sputtered to life, illuminating the darkness.

"Yes, thank god. Yondaime has saved us again."

"Bless his soul." The middle-aged woman pressed a hand to her heart in relief. "He lives?"

"I should hope he does!" The other nodded resolutely. "His dear son, only two months old!"

"Yes, but what-" A sudden cry pierced the air, and the two women glanced at each other, slowly maneuvering around in the darkness. One ventured towards the door, peering outside carefully. With a startled gasp, she flung it open.

"Goodness, look!" She came back in, cradling a bundle in her arms. "A baby!"

"A newborn, from the looks of it."

"The poor thing!" She rubbed the baby's cheek gently. "So many families have been lost in this battle."

"Wait – look." The other pushed aside the blanket to reveal a swirling design on the baby's stomach. The two stared in silence, before one briskly wrapped the blanket around the baby again.

"We'll speak to the Hokage about this," she said. "But now I think it's time the little one got some rest." She laid the baby down and sighed, stroking a few stray hairs. "Sleep well, child. You have a hard life ahead of you."

As she walked away, the baby's eyes opened to reveal pure lavender eyes, innocent and calm, and unknowing of the hardships that life would bring.

--

A swing creaked gently. A young girl with dark blue hair and lavender eyes sat there, rocking slowly.

"What are you doing? Get back inside!"

Hinata looked up in shock before nodding. Her fingers poked together nervously as she walked back in, avoiding the angry eyes of the orphanage caretaker. Mustering her courage, she attempted an apology.

"G-Gomen." She wished her voice wouldn't tremble so much. "I-I was just-"

"Just get inside."

Flinching at the cold words, Hinata hurried back indoors as quickly as she could without running; she had no intention of being yelled at again.

She was used to it by now, though.

--

"Naruto!"

The boy winced, turning around sheepishly. "Tou-san!" he said, grinning innocently. "Ne, ne, can you play now?"

The Yondaime Hokage looked down at his son, shaking his head with a smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what you were just doing?" Without waiting for a reply, he swung the boy up, letting him sit on his shoulders. "C'mon then, Naruto! We haven't been to Ichiraku in a while!"

They walked through the streets of Konoha, Naruto laughing as he pointed out things, his father smiling indulgently.

"Hokage-sama!" A middle-aged woman hurried up to him, bowing as she reached him. Straightening up, she indicated a small group of children just a little ways off. "Th-The children were asking about you. I-If you had time…"

He laughed good-naturedly in response. "Come, Naruto-kun! Time to be of good service to the community."

The blond child pouted in reply but went along with his dad, as they walked around with the children, the Hokage talking, making jokes and offering advice; the children were too star struck by their idol, the hero of the village, to do much.

As they waved them away, Naruto leaned down to his dad's ear.

"Ne, Tou-san – who were they?"

His eyes were darker, sadder as he said, "They were the children from the orphanage." He reached up to tap his son on the head. "Never forget what you have, Naruto. Never forget the power of being loved, of having people who would do anything for you, who you can call your own."

Naruto looked up, watching the retreating children, and his eye caught a dark-haired girl at the back, stumbling along behind the group, as if she didn't belong. He blinked, and the next moment they had rounded the corner and were out of sight.

"I have you, Tou-san. I'll always have you."

Yondaime smiled. "Hai, Naruto."

"And you have me!" The little boy said, grinning for all his worth. "I won't let you down!"

He chuckled. "I never thought you would, Naruto."

As they walked back towards the Hokage mansion, never did they consider the power of recognition, of acknowledgment.

Or the power of a timid young girl, lost amid her curse and her destiny.

* * *

Mei Xue: It's been forever since we first planned this story and NOW IT'S OUT! I'm so happy... :')

Mei Hua: Yeah, I've got nothing.

* * *


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Kishimoto.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter One**

_Its too bright…_Hinata squinted, sleepily rubbing her eyes. Glancing over at her clock, she faintly wondered why it was so early…

Oh. Right.

With a sigh, she pulled herself from the last clutches of sleep and her bed, intent on preparing herself for today as best she could.

Gently, Hinata pushed open the bathroom door and found herself staring at her reflection. Uncomfortably, the twelve-year-old examined her reflection, eyes skimming over her features. Same dark blue hair, same shapeless body hidden by baggy clothes… same blank lavender eyes. Slowly, Hinata brought her hands together and formed the familiar seals.

"Byakugan."

The veins popped, and her eyes paled to a brilliant white, focusing until they glared angrily at her reflection. After a moment, her arms fell to her sides, and her Byakugan receded. In response, she began to gather her chakra, focusing it as she lifted the hem of her shirt. As she watched, a swirling design appeared, and she sighed, her stance dropping.

She was such a freak.

It was her daily ritual, for the past few months, ever since she had fully discovered… what she was.

_Keeping her eyes firmly on the ground, Hinata walked along quickly, trying to avoid the angry eyes of the people around her. She hated walking around town. Absolutely hated it. _

_"It's her."_

_"What is that thing doing?"_

_"She doesn't belong."_

_"Bless his soul, but Yondaime is too gentle!"_

_"That demon freak doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as him!"_

_"D-Don't say that word. You know that-"_

_"She's still a demon."_

_Blinking rapidly, the lavender-eyed girl hurried along faster, ineffectively trying to ignore their harsh words. But something had caught her attention. _

"She's still a demon."

_Demon? _

_Demon._

Demon

_Demon_

_**Demon. **_

_Her hand strayed to her abdomen, where she had once seen a strange design, a swirl surrounded by lettering, when she had been training. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but when that woman had very clearly said "She's still a demon", the words seemed to mean so much more than just a spiteful name created by those who hated her. Hated her for reasons she didn't know. _

_Maybe they were the same reasons that prompted the name "Demon". _

Hinata sighed now, remembering that day. That day it had all begun to fall together. That day she had run to the library and painstakingly looked up everything involving seals until she found something similar to the one of her belly. That day she had read about the "Tailed Beasts" and "containers" and "Jinchuuriki".

She had read about the Kyuubi.

In truth, it wasn't more than some very educated guesses and some highly suspicious coincidences, but she had finally – after weeks of research, at which point the librarian took to expecting her every day – determined that that design was more than just a decoration. And that the villagers based the name "Demon Freak" in more than just hate.

Because she was the Demon. She was Hyuuga Hinata, container of the Nine Tails.

Hinata exhaled loudly, scowling faintly. Of course, that wasn't the _only_ reason she was a freak. Of course not.

_The academy student backed away slowly, his eyes wide and fearful. _

"_What are you? What kind of a freak are you!?" _

_Hinata's shoulders hunched at his words. He had a right to be scared – she would probably have been scared to be on the receiving end of her eyes as well. _

_They had been sparring (something Iruka-sensei was hesitant to let them do), and she had been losing. Badly, she admitted. As he had raised his kunai for the finishing blow, she had felt a surge of chakra, and she could feel her eyes changing, her vision sharpening, the world all of a sudden becoming so much larger, as she was overcome by a dizzying feeling. _

_Yet somehow, she had remained somewhat upright, her eyes still trained on her opponent, who had dropped his weapon in shock and scurried backwards, putting as much distance between them as he could. _

"_F-Freak!" he said again. _

"_What's going on?" asked Iruka-sensei. Hinata felt a surge of relief. He could help. As she turned to him, she could feel her eyes returning to normal. _

"_Iruka-sensei!" the other boy said. "Give her detention! Tell the other teachers about her! Keep her out of the class!" He latched onto the chuunin desperately. "She's crazy! She's a freak!" _

"_You shouldn't-"_

"_My Tou-san says that you shouldn't say things like that!" A loud voice interrupted Iruka-sensei, and Hinata timidly turned her head to look at a yellow-haired boy, hands on his hips in a typical "Superhero" pose. He grinned wildly, having caught everyone's attention. _

"_Naruto-kun." Iruka-sensei sighed, admonishing the boy. "You shouldn't use the Hokage-sama's words too carelessly." _

_Oh. Uzumaki Naruto. Hokage-sama's child. _

_He continued to argue with Iruka-sensei and the boy who had called her a freak, but eventually, the chuunin broke it up, separating the two boys. After demanding a full explanation from both sides (one yelled loudly with numerous 'freak!'s thrown in, the other stammered and stuttered in a voice barely above a whisper), the chuunin knelt by Hinata, his eyes gentle. _

"_Hinata, I'm going to take you to talk to Hokage-sama about this, alright?" She had nodded quickly, hoping that if she were obedient he wouldn't punish her as harshly. "Okay then. See me after class." _

Hinata's eyes shut with a sigh. Her Byakugan had been discovered about two years ago – though Yondaime-sama hadn't been able to tell her much. After she had completely humiliated herself by, first not even looking at him or addressing him properly, then squeaking out a "Hokage-sama!" and bowing profusely; he had quietly told them what he knew about her eyes.

"_Your eyes, when they do that, are called Byakugan. I honestly can't tell you much more than that. I know that they have 360-degree vision and can see through objects. But their greatest tool is that they can see the chakra system." He stood, coming to stand by the nervous blue-haired girl. _

"_This is a great asset, and you'll likely find that it'll save your life in the future. It'll take hard work, though." He grinned boyishly at her, looking remarkably like his son had. _

"_Train hard, Hinata-san! I hope to see you with a Konoha hitai-ate someday!"_

And train hard, she did. Throughout numerous visits to the library (which was quickly becoming a landmark in her past), she had studied the chakra systems, experimenting on herself and random people she saw on the streets. She trained herself to recognize how the chakra flowed, and to determine if those she saw on the street were shinobi or just villagers, based on their chakra systems. Countless nights had been spent training her Byakugan's distance range and 360-degree vision. But her greatest victory came when she read about tenketsus.

Hinata grimaced in response to that thought. That had been a rather painful process, basically involving her standing in front of a mirror and closing off her own chakra points. Once she had basically determined their effect, she proceeded to more late-night trainings, where she essentially mauled the practice dummies.

It had taken her months, almost a year, to develop, but finally she had created her own taijutsu style. It was still rudimentary – and, admittedly, her stance was weak – but when she concentrated, she could effectively shut down an opponent by hitting their chakra points.

Her thoughts were jolted out of their daze when she glanced at the clock. Startled, Hinata rushed to get ready, scolding herself for drifting off so easily – and on such an important day!

Today she would graduate from the academy and officially become a ninja.

--

"Naruto-kun! Get up!" The middle-aged woman bustled into Naruto's room, yelling in a panic. Sleepily, the twelve-year-old lifted his head and frowned.

"Five more minutes, Obaa-chaaa…" His voice trailed off in a snore.

"Naruto-kun!" she repeated, shaking him. "You have to get up! You're already _late_ – the test is _today_! In _five minutes_!"

"Eh?!" Suddenly awake, he sprung out of bed, rushing around his room to find clothes.

"Hurry, Naruto-kun," she said, a little amused, as she left his room.

--

"Damn, damn, damn, why did I have to stay up late to train?!" Naruto said to himself, as he rushed through the streets. The tests had probably started by now, and he was still on the opposite side of Konoha.

"Naruto-kun! Good luck today!" A fruit-stand vendor said, lifting her hand in greeting, a warm smile on her face.

"Thanks, Nee-chan!" He grinned, waving as he ran.

"Naruto-kun! Hurry – many of the students have already been there for half an hour!" An elderly man smiled as he moved a piece on the shogi board.

Hearing this, the yellow-haired boy sped up, still cursing himself. Finally, the Academy came into view, and he sighed, rushing through the silent yard. Yanking open the door, he sped along the dead-silent halls, intent on making it to his classroom.

"Hyuuga Hinata."

As Naruto rushed into the classroom, collapsing in a worn-out pile, a blue-haired girl stood and followed Iruka-sensei into another room.

"So. You made it."

Laughing, Naruto nodded. "Ne, Shikamaru – you haven't gone yet?"

He began to shake his head when a loud yell interrupted them.

"_NARUTO_!" Furiously, a pink-haired genin stomped over to him. "WHERE WERE YOU?! IT'S JUST LIKE YOU TO BE IRRESPONSIBLE AND LATE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY IN YOUR SHINOBI CAREER!"

Frowning, he withdrew slightly. "Sakura-chan…" His eyes caught a glint on her forehead. "Eh? You passed?"

Smirking, she tapped the forehead protector. "I'm an official ninja now!" Covertly, she sneaked a look at a certain raven-haired boy. "And maybe now Sasuke-kun will notice me!"

Hmphing, Naruto yelled to Sasuke, who cast him a cool look and a half-nod in return. Sighing, Naruto went to take a seat, as a newly appointed genin walked out of the room, followed by Iruka-sensei.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

As Kiba stood up to take the test, Iruka cast Naruto a disapproving look. "Naruto-kun…you're late."

"But you haven't gotten to me yet, have you?" The blond boy shot him a victory sign accompanied with an enthusiastic smile.

Shaking his head, Iruka waved Kiba into the classroom, and shut the door.

--

"I'm a real ninja now, right?"

"Good job! It's something I would expect from my son!"

"Congratulations on graduating. Mom is going to fix you something nice tonight."

The sounds of carefree celebration reached her, but Hinata closed her eyes painfully. She had graduated… but there was no one to share it with. No one who would tell her congratulations. The sting of loneliness was more acute than ever.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Yondaime-sama!"

"TOU-SAN!"

Naruto ran towards his dad, proudly brandishing his new headband.

"I did it, Tou-san – now I can protect Konoha like you do!"

Smiling fondly, he leaned down and ruffled his son's hair. "Congratulations, Naruto; I always knew you could do it."

Iruka came to stand next to him. "Hokage-sama," he said. Subtly, the robed figure glanced at him.

"She passed?"

"Yes. Her Bunshin was flawless." Iruka looked at Naruto, his smile widening. "He takes after you, doesn't he, Hokage-sama?" Chuckling, Yondaime nodded wordlessly, his gaze still on his son. "Then, I also have some news for you; because of the class rankings…" Leaning forward, the chuunin whispered the last part, eager to give the Hokage this curious piece of news. Eyes lighting in surprise, the blond-haired man looked at him.

"Are you sure?"

Nodding, Iruka smiled, retreating into the shadows with a bow.

Turning back to survey the latest genins, he smiled mysteriously, as his son rambled on about how he would become the greatest ninja in the world.

"Well, this will be an interesting setup…"

--

"Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are all still new genins. It's going to get harder from here. You all will be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a jounin teacher."

As the new ninjas squirmed, many glancing at friends (Sasuke on the receiving end of many eagerly hopeful gazes), Iruka continued, holding up a stack of papers.

"We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent." Smiling, as his eyes roamed over his students, gathered together one last time, the chuunin said, "I will now announce them."

_Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun…SasukeSasukeSasukeSasukeSasuke_

_Anyone but Sasuke – ANYONE BUT SASUKE-TEME. _

_IhopeI'monateamwithSasuke…IhopeI'monateamwithSasuke…_

"Team Eight: Haruno Sakura. Inuzuka Kiba. Aburame Shino."

"You see?" Ino said, delighted at her former friend's plight. "I'm definitely going to be with Sasuk-"

"Team Ten: Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru. Akimichi Chouji."

Groaning, Ino let her head fall against the desk, turning her head to glare balefully at the boy beside her.

"Looks like you won't be with Sasuke-kun either," Sakura said smugly. "Of course, it's okay for me; true love will always prevail!"

"Oh." Iruka frowned, shuffling the papers around. "Seems I skipped one. Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Hyuuga Hinata."

Frowning, Sakura glanced at Ino. "Hyuuga? Hinata? Who…?"

"She's that girl, the quiet one with the weird eyes." Ino gestured towards an indigo-haired girl sitting in the corner silently, ignoring the jealous glares she was receiving from every other kunoichi in the class.

Frustrated, Sakura exhaled with a pout. "Lucky – I'd like to be on Sasuke-kun's team!"

Tittering, Ino jabbed a finger towards two other people. "Instead you get bug boy and dog boy!"

"Well you're stuck with a lazy boy and a… _large_ one."

"That's it for the groups!" Iruka-sensei said. "I'm going to introduce the jounin teachers in the afternoon. Meeting adjourned until then!"

As the rest of the genin stood, gossiping and complaining loudly, Hinata sat in silence, her eyes traveling to her two teammates. They were as different as could be; one was clad in a bright orange jumpsuit with wild yellow hair, and the other sat, indifferent to Naruto's words and the swarming fangirls.

_So I'm paired with the Number One Rookie of the Year, who happens to be extremely popular, and the only survivor of the famed Uchiha clan… and a loud prankster who happens to be Yondaime Hokage's son. Them with me. The Demon Freak and the Blind Loser._

Sighing, Hinata stood, not yet ready to approach her teammates. Instead, she slipped unnoticed from the classroom and headed back to her apartment for another lonely meal.

--

"Yo."

"Are you planning on being late to the meeting?"

"_Me_? Late?"

"Do you know who your team is?"

"Ah… maybe…"

"Don't fail them this year. I don't think you'll be able to fail them."

"We'll see-"

"You have the Number One Rookie."

"Which means that the dead last is on my team."

"So is the Hokage's son."

"… I'll be sure to have fun while testing them."

"And if they pass…?"

"It'll make for an unparalleled team."

* * *

Xue: I'm sorry it took a while to get chapter one out. Life sucks, and Hua and I have pretty much nonexistent motivations to do anything really. Not that we don't love you! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the prologue - and even if you're one of those people that just read and don't review, thanks too. BUT we'd love if you could review briefly, just let us know if you liked it or not. Thanks everyone!

Hua: Yeah, that'd be great.

And if we don't update in a while, don't hate us. I know it's surprising, but I actually have a life. In fact, I have many problems going on right now. But you don't need to know that.


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Naruto does in no way shape or form belong to me. Us. Anybody who would be reading this.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: Ack! Sorry for the long wait! I'm really satisfied with this chapter though, just so you know. I hope you'll like it too :)

* * *

**Unparalleled **

**Chapter Two**

"He's _late_."

"You said that already."

"But why is our teacher the only one late!" Groaning, Naruto banged his head against the wall.

"A-Ano… I-I'm sure sensei has a… a reason…"

"Eh?" The blond-haired boy turned around to see a dark-haired girl leaning against the far wall. "You're Hinata, right?"

She nodded in reply, looking down and poking her fingers together. "Hai. Hyuuga Hinata." When she looked up again, she found, to her dismay, Naruto wedging a chalkboard eraser between the door and the wall.

"A-Are you sur-"

"A Jounin isn't going to fall for a plain old booby trap like that."

As Sasuke said this, a hand appeared in the doorway, pulling open the door.

And setting off the "plain old booby trap".

_He fell for it! I can't believe he fell for it!_

_I hope he doesn't yell at us. I hope he doesn't hate us. _

_For real? Is he really a Jounin? _

The silver-haired ninja leaned down and picked up the fallen eraser, examining it before looking up thoughtfully.

"How should I say this… my first impressions of you guys are…" He let his eyes roam over each of the genins; the stoic Uchiha, the yellow-haired fox-like boy (who looked so much like the Hokage) and…

The white-eyed, indigo-haired girl, with eyes that reflected the bitterness of her life and the floundering innocence of her soul.

He sighed. "Follow me."

--

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?"

"What you like, hate… your dreams and hobbies. Something like that."

Naruto grinned. "Ano – why don't you introduce yourself first, Sensei?"

Shrugging the jounin pointed to himself. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes-" Hinata's brow furrowed at that- "As for my dream…" He trailed off, glancing towards the sky, before finishing with, "I have few hobbies."

Naruto's face fell. "So all we found out was his name," he said to his teammates, satisfied when Hinata nodded hesitantly, a little smile on her face.

"Now it's your turn." Kakashi indicated Naruto. "You first."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he said, fiddling with his forehead protector. "I like ramen, Konoha and my Tou-san. I hate…" He scrunched up his nose. "I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after I put in the hot water to make cup ramen, and… cowards. I hate cowards and people who are too weak to fight back or help others." Naruto nodded matter-of-factly as Hinata stared at him, traces of a smile on her face.

"My dream is to become a strong ninja and protect Konoha like my Tou-san does!"

_Sensei_, Kakashi thought, _this boy is exactly like you._

"And my hobbies are eating and comparing ramen! Oh, and training."

Kakashi nodded. He turned to Hinata. "Your turn."

"A-Ano… My name is Hyuuga Hinata." She looked down. "I like reading and, um, uh… nice people?" _That sounds so pathetic. _Blushing faintly, she said, "I dislike, um… mean people. A-And… m-my dream is to… become… become worthy." _Worthy of being acknowledged, of being congratulated… of being known as my own person. _"My hobbies are… ano, reading and t-training."

The silver-haired Jounin looked at Sasuke. "Last guy."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate and few things that I like." He said this with a straight face, hands folded in front of his face, elbows resting on his knees. "Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to… kill a certain man."

Naruto eyed him warily. _I hope he's not referring to me…_He remembered Sasuke from when they were young; as the Hokage's son, he had met with many of the clans in Konoha, including the Uchiha clan. They had been somewhat friends, but after the clan massacre, Sasuke had only considered him a classmate.

Hinata looked at her third teammate cautiously. She felt… sorry, to say the least, for this "certain man". She herself had been the recipient of some death threats, but none as malicious as this.

Kakashi sighed, his visible eye narrowed in thought. _Just as I thought…_Team 7 would be a team that would go down in history; he almost wanted them to pass, just so he could see how they would grow.

"Alright…" He surveyed them carefully again. Only the Uchiha's words had been particularly noteworthy, but he could tell that each of them had their own… _unique_ personality. "We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow." As predicted, Naruto straightened, eyes eager.

"First we're going to do something that we four can do." The genin leaned forward, catching the undertone in his voice. "Survival Training."

"We had plenty of training back at the Academy!" Naruto said. "Why are we training if it's a mission?"

"This is no ordinary training." Kakashi smiled inwardly, before chuckling.

"A-Ano… Sensei…"

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised." Grinning, he leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Out of the twenty-seven graduates… only nine are going to become Genins. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66 percent."

Hinata recoiled at his words. _O-Only nine?_ Miserably, she slumped down. She knew she had no chance, not when she was such a weak, hated person. They'd probably find a way to keep her from becoming a Genin no matter what.

"Nani?! No way! I went through so much trouble… Then what was the final exam for?" Naruto rocked back and forth, yelling in dismay.

"That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become Genin." Kakashi shrugged, as if it were no big deal. As they protested loudly (actually, only the yellow-haired loud one was saying anything), Kakashi said, "Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 A.M!"

_I'm not going to get dropped out by a thing like this…I have to prove my abilities, prove that I can be as strong as my Tou-san, for real. _

_I-I can't… I can't do this… No, no, no… I have to. If I want to become a Genin I have to… But, oh, I… I can't… _

_If it's individual testing… But as a team, they'll just drag me down. I have to pass here. I have to get strong, become stronger than him. _

"Now then, meeting over." Kakashi turned away from them, as if he hadn't just announced that they had less than fifty-percent chance of becoming a Genin. "Oh yeah… don't eat breakfast. You're going to throw up if you do."

Hinata inhaled sharply, his words only serving to fuel her lack of confidence.

"Ja ne."

--

Sighing, Hinata trudged towards the training field. From another direction, she could see Naruto and Sasuke walking up.

"Ungh."

"O-Ohayo."

The three met in the center, and stood there, stiff and silent.

An hour passed. Naruto had almost passed out, sitting on the ground, leaning against his pack. Hinata was drooping, hungry and tired. Sasuke stood there, appearing indifferent even as he rubbed his eyes furtively.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Blearily, Hinata looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. They had been waiting for what seemed like forever, and to make matters worse, today the sun seemed particularly hot and large… _Why_ did she have such pale skin and sensitive eyes? Better yet… Why was she usually such a pig? – If she dieted, she probably wouldn't be so hungry.

As Hinata leaned over to rummage around in her pack, a shadow fell on the three Genins. There was a long pause, and then:

"YOU'RE **LATE**!"

Laughing sheepishly, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "You see, a black cat crossed my path and-"

"YOU'RE **LYING**!"

"N-Naruto-san…"

"A-Anyway." Kakashi reached inside his pouch. "I was planning on giving you the bell test, but-"

"Bell test?"

The Jounin shook his head and pulled out six scrolls, three in each hand. "Instead, each of you will receive a scroll; one says Taijutsu, one says Genjutsu and one says Ninjutsu. I," he passed them out, holding up the other three, "have three other scrolls that say the same thing. Your task is to try and get the matching scroll from me."

"Is that it?" Naruto scoffed, folding his arms. "That's-"

"Easy? There are three requirements. One," Kakashi held up a finger, "You must each retrieve your matching scroll to pass. Two," he held up a second finger, "I will be trying to take your scrolls as well; if any of your scrolls are taken, you all fail. And three; you have two hours to complete this test. If you do not have both scrolls by then, you fail."

_Hmph. _I_ can get a scroll no problem, of course. … Sasuke is good I guess, but what about Hinata? She doesn't seem like much…_

_Get a scroll? From a Jounin? And protect my own at the same time? I-I _can't_… but I don't want Naruto-san or Sasuke-san to fail… _

_If _any_ of our scrolls are taken… we all fail? Damn. I'm going to have to cover for both of them. I knew a team of three would just pull me down. _

"We're going to start after I say 'Ready, start'."

They crouched into fighting stances.

Alright! I'll prove I'm strong by protecting Hinata and getting a scroll before Sasuke!

_I have to do this. I've never really used Byakugan against a real opponent, but I'll have to here. _

_I could lure Kakashi-sensei and distract him from the other two. Then again, he is a Jounin, so maybe… _

"Ready… start!"

They darted off in opposite directions into the trees. Kakashi smiled, and reached into his pouch, pulling out his book.

_They're already off to a bad start, but might as well let them relax for a while… Wait – Junko did what? Oh, ho, ho, Jiraiya-sama! _

--

"Byakugan." Keeping her voice as low as possible, Hinata crouched on the branch. She felt a little thrill at the expansive world she saw, but shook it off, focusing her eyes on her teammates.

_They seem safe… I don't see Kakashi-sensei around here. He's – he's reading a book? _Blinking in confusion, Hinata frowned and trained her eyes on the distinct figure of her sensei. If she could keep her eyes on him, then… Nervously, Hinata reached around her to touch the scroll –

When her hands met another.

Yelping, she whirled around, coming face-to-face with –

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Suddenly, her eyes caught two figures, behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"N-Naruto-san! Sasuke-san!"

As her Byakugan saw them turning around to engage Kakashi (but Kakashi was here, in front of her? and who was in the clearing, reading a book?), Hinata focused her eyes on the Jounin in front of her.

"Ah, Hinata-chan. Those eyes of yours are impressive." He smiled at her. Nervously, she raised her hands in a defensive position.

"So you're planning on fighting? Very brave of you, Hinata-chan."

Eyes wide, she trembled slightly, before quickly sealing and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu, huh? That's one way to escape." And with that, the Kakashi Bunshin disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

_Th-That was close… Kami-sama, I can't… How am I ever going to get a scroll? _Spotting Naruto and Sasuke, she quickly changed directions and landed next to them.

"That was the Kage Bunshin technique." Sasuke said. "Be careful; those clones could take your scroll."

"N-Now what? We c-can't fight him…"

Sasuke sighed; as he was about to talk, Naruto interrupted loudly.

"Ne, ne – how about I go in and-"

"Quiet! Do you want him to know where we are?"

Naruto frowned balefully. "How about I go in and get the scrolls and give them to you!"

Hinata hesitated. "A-Ano, N-Naruto-san-"

"That's stupid."

"S-Sasuke-san-"

"I'll engage him, and distract him, since I have the best chance of not actually losing my scroll. Naruto…" Sasuke sighed, as if it were a pain to say this. "You should go in and retrieve the scrolls. Hina– Hinata, right? You… You can cover for us."

She glanced down, feeling a flush spread across her cheeks. She knew he had hesitated, and given her the easiest job… She would probably end up messing it up anyways.

"When I make a move, we'll start."

They spread out, and Sasuke watched Kakashi in the center. He was… not doing anything. Irritably, the Uchiha drew some shuriken out, and readied them.

The Jounin turned a page.

_Wait for it…_

Kakashi yawned.

_Soon…_

The silver-haired man shifted.

_Almost…_

He turned.

_There! _

In a flash, Sasuke released his weapons, darting to the side. As predicted, Kakashi leaped away from the volley of shuriken, straight into a trap. Sasuke appeared from behind and aimed his fist at his back.

"Sasuke-kun." The Uchiha smirked. "Never thought you'd attack first, so hastily."

Grunting, Sasuke threw another punch at him. Kakashi blocked it, pulling himself around to block Sasuke's kick.

"Shinobi Tactic Know-How Number One…" In a flurry of movement, Kakashi released Sasuke and pulled himself back. "Taijutsu." Casually, he reached inside his pouch and pulled out a scroll. "Which happens to be your scroll."

Sasuke tensed. _Naruto… Where are you…? _

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

Sasuke growled. _Naruto… You baka… You're supposed to get the scrolls… _

Kakashi turned to face the Hokage's son.

_N-Naruto-san… What are you doing…_

"Standing directly in front of me…"

_And yelling like the baka you are! _

"LET'S HAVE A MATCH, FAIR AND SQUARE!"

Hidden in the trees, Hinata sighed. _He seems nice… really… but… _

Grinning, Naruto charged at Kakashi, slowing as the Jounin reached into his pouch.

"Sasuke… Since this is your scroll, you may want to pay close attention."

All three tensed as he slowly began to withdraw something from his pouch.

_It's that same…_

… _Orange book…_

_That Ero-sennin wrote! Kakashi-sensei reads those? _

"Ano… Why did you take out a book?"

"Why?" Kakashi shrugged. "I got curious as to how the story is going to develop." Innocuously, he continued, "Don't worry. It's the same whether I read this or not. Even if you are the son of my sensei."

Furious, Naruto rushed at him, fist drawn back. Kakashi caught the punch, and ducked the kick. As the blond shinobi prepared to punch him again, he found himself staring at empty space, Sasuke staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"A ninja should not let the enemy get behind him multiple times." Slowly, Naruto turned his head, eyes lighting upon his hand position.

_That's…! _

_Seal of the Tiger? _

_That seal is for… Katon jutsus. _Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Hidden Village of Konoha's secret taijutsu master art…!" The Genin felt a sharp, stabbing pain and his face melted into a queasy, uneasy look.

"A Thousand Years of Pain!"

Blinking, Hinata leaned forward, a perplexed frown on her face.

_Two idiots_. Sasuke released a volley of kunai and shuriken, as Kakashi watched Naruto crash into some trees a distance away. Deftly, he dodged them as Sasuke rushed towards him again.

"Byakugan!" Hinata crept closer, watching the battle intently as she kept a watch around her for Kakashi clones. She had to be ready to help Sasuke, should he falter. She couldn't fail… not here, not now.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. _A Genin shouldn't have enough chakra to be able to perform that jutsu…_ As he sealed, the giant fireball engulfed him, blazing. Hinata's breath caught; did Sasuke just defeat Kakashi-sensei…? As the smoke cleared, the Uchiha started.

_Where is he…?_

Hinata's eyes narrowed, as she focused her Byakugan. Quickly, she scanned the trees. Nothing_… _But then where…

_Underground! _

Gasping, the Hyuuga leaped out the trees, heading for Sasuke.

"S-Sasuke-san! He's-"

"Below you!"

Kakashi's hand broke out of the ground, gripping Sasuke's ankle. In shock, he looked down as he was pulled into the ground by a jutsu.

"Shinobi Tactic Know-How Number Two…" Smiling, Kakashi crouched in front of a buried Sasuke. "Ninjutsu." Looking up, his eyes landed on Hinata. "Ne, Hinata-chan? Since that's your scroll?"

Unconsciously, she licked her dry lips, feeling her hands tremble slightly.

"Hinata!" Sasuke's voice was harsh. "Run; he'll take your scroll!" _Because you're weak. _All too clearly, she could hear the unspoken reason for his statement. He hadn't told Naruto to run. He himself had faced Kakashi-sensei himself. Her faltering confidence weakened, as her own doubts and worries strengthened by her teammate's lack of faith.

Frowning, Kakashi said, "Sasuke-kun… Have you no faith?"

"I refuse to fail here," Sasuke said acidly.

"Well, Hinata-chan? What can you do here?"

"I… I…"

_What can you do here? _

"_Demon Freak!" _

"_What are you?" _

"_I'm going to take you to see the Hokage." _

"_Team Seven… Hyuuga Hinata." _

"… _M-My dream is… to become… become worthy…" _

"_He'll take your scroll!" _

"_What can you do here?" _

_What can you do here? _

_What can you do? _

… _What can I do? _

"Well, Hinata-chan?"

* * *

Xue: If you have a question, please log in and review or leave an e-mail address, because I WILL reply if you give me something to reply to. Some people I've already sent a message to, but don't think I'm not VERY grateful for every single review you leave!


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I'll never own anything. Ever.

Summery: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: _Aiya_, it's been a while. And I left it on such a nasty cliffhanger too!

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Three **

Groaning, Naruto leaped through the trees. Damn Kakashi-sensei for that "secret taijutsu master art"! Coming to a stop, he peered through the leaves, spotting Hinata facing Kakashi-sensei, trembling slightly, as she looked down and the ground, to the side, up at the sky, avoiding both Kakashi and Sasuke's eyes… _Ha! Sasuke! _Buried in the ground!

"I… I c-can do this!"

Frowning, Naruto leaned forward, watching as Hinata shifted into a fighting stance. _Eh? What's that? _

_What style is that? I've never seen it before…_ Sasuke eyed his third teammate. She… seemed weak. Naruto had the credit of being the Yondaime Hokage's son, and someone he remembered from his childhood. Hinata, on the other hand…

"Oh?" Kakashi nodded, observing her appraisingly. "Confident…"

Breathing nervously, Hinata's stance weakened slightly.

"Hinata!" Naruto burst from the trees, in a sudden panic. "Run! He'll take your scroll!"

Painfully, she closed her eyes (though her Byakugan kept a close watch on Kakashi-sensei). Their words were… discouraging, to say the least.

"Funny." Their Jounin sensei sounded cold. "Sasuke-kun here said the exact same thing."

At that moment, a buzzer rang.

"Ah." Kakashi stood, suddenly pleasant. "It appears that time is up. You all fail."

Breathing heavily, Hinata looked down, trying to conceal the tears. Timidly, she moved towards Sasuke, helping him break out of the jutsu.

"A-Ano… Sasuke-san… G-Gomen-"

Growling, Sasuke shoved Hinata aside and rushed at Kakashi, determined to grab his scroll. Eyes flashing, Kakashi grabbed him, shoving him the ground, sitting on him and pinning his arm behind his back. Eyes dark, the Jounin looked up at the remaining two.

"Are you guys disrespecting what it means to be a shinobi?" At their startled looks he said, "Why do you think we're training as teams?" When no one answered, he added, "What do you think the purpose of this test was?"

"Ano… to become Genins?"

"Naruto…" Kakashi shook his head, chuckling derisively. "Baka."

"Nani?!" Naruto scowled, furious. "Kakashi-sensei-!"

"Are all your heads empty? Don't you understand the meaning of the three-man teams?"

"What about the three-person teams?!" The blond Genin said, frustrated and with clenched fists.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he spoke, three words chillingly sharp.

"It's about teamwork."

A flash shot through them, and guiltily, the three slumped, suddenly aware.

_Teamwork… That's what Tou-san sometimes tells me… It's not always about one person, but about everyone combined. _

_Teamwork… That's… amazing. I've never really been part of a team before… _

_Teamwork… That's just… Maybe by working with them, I'll be stronger than if I work alone. _

"It's about helping each other. If you had come at me together, you might have gotten the scrolls." Shaking his head, Kakashi stood up, releasing Sasuke. "This test was designed to see how you would work together, under extreme circumstances. However… Sasuke! You overestimated yourself and refused to see the abilities of others. Naruto! You ignored all plans and cockily challenged me yourself, thinking yourself better than the others. Hinata!" He looked at her. "You refused to act, and let your teammates do the work."

_I just wanted to protect the others… But maybe it was stupid ignoring the plans…_

_I tried… I tried to act, and do something… But the plan was for me to not… _

_Damn. I know I'm different than them. And we did have a plan… _

"Missions are completed with teams. It's true that advanced individual abilities are important to a ninja… but what's more valued is teamwork.

"Selfish actions that destroy teamwork bring danger to your teammates, and that can get them killed." He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Hopefully you don't need an example of that." Continuing, he said, "Sometimes you are forced to make impossible decisions before you die. The missions are all life-risking jobs." As he said this, Kakashi walked over to a large black stone, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped.

Keeping a respectful distance from it, he began to speak, his voice calm and flat.

"All the names carved into this stone… these are all ninjas of the village that are called heroes."

Naruto's face fell. His father had taken him to see that stone before, to pay his respects as the Hokage. His dad had pointed out all the names, and bitterly spoke of how much emptier the stone had seemed when he (Naruto) had been born.

"These aren't normal heroes."

Hinata waited, a sickening feeling in her stomach. She could guess what kind of heroes they were. What they had sacrificed to have their name carved on that stone. She could only guess how many of those names had been carved there after her birth.

"They're heroes that were lost while serving."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Lost… what a kind term. When his family had died, they called it murder. Massacre. Genocide, almost, considering how many had been killed so quickly. Lost. If anyone was lost, it was him. He had been lost along with the rest of his family.

"L-Lost…"

"They died so the mission would succeed."

A hush fell over the three Genin. There was a tug at their hearts, as a harsh sense of reality pulled at them, realizing the true meaning of being a shinobi.

"This is a memorial. And my best friend's name is also carved here."

_So many… so many damn people have been lost… That's why I want to be strong, why I want to protect everyone – protect Konoha! _

_So many… why… why… What causes people to kill others – why are monsters born, what kind of purpose does murder have? What good comes out of dying? _

_So many… And there'll always be more… Damnit. I swear… someday… If my name is to be carved on there, let it be alongside that of _his_. _

"I'll give you one final chance."

_What? Another chance? Yatta! This time we'll do it for sure! _

_Sensei… he really believes we can do it? I swear, this time I'll do my best. _

_Hn. Another chance. I'll have to give them a role then, if we're going to pass. _

"This time…" Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out the three scrolls. He separated them, two in one hand, and one in another. In a burst of smoke, one of them disappeared.

"Nani?!" Naruto leaned forward in a panic. "That was my scroll!"

"So it was." Kakashi tucked the remaining scrolls in his pouch. "As you can see, this time there will only be two scrolls. This time, it doesn't matter what they say; as long as you have two scrolls, you can pass."

"A-Ano… sensei…"

"But since there are only two scrolls…" His eyes flashed. "Only two can pass." He shrugged suddenly. "You have forty-five minutes."

"Ready… start!"

They darted off together, into the trees. Kakashi calmly kept a blank face, and reached into his pouch, pulling out his book.

_They're off to a predictable start, but I'd have to fail them as ninjas completely if they didn't do that… Forty-five minutes… Let's see if they can pass the real test this time. _

--

"This time, don't be such a baka."

"Nani? Teme!"

"N-Naruto-san… S-Sasuke-san…"

"We only have forty-five minutes. We have to make a plan."

"Ne, ne – why don't we just use our old one?"

"Baka, that won't-"

"A-Ano…" Hinata said, looking away when they both turned towards her. "Using the old plan… m-might work. B-But… We have to take more precautions." Encouraged by their unspoken interest, she said, "Naruto-san seems to be… a good distraction. He can go in first and challenge Kakashi-sensei. T-Then Sasuke-san can try and retrieve the scrolls-"

"No. That's too simple." Biting her lip, Hinata looked down, when she heard Sasuke say, "We'll pretend that I'm the one aiming for the scrolls, but instead, I'll battle Kakashi-sensei along with Naruto. "

"Ne, ne – who'll get the scrolls then?"

"Hinata."

Inhaling sharply, the white-eyed girl drew back. "B-But… I don't think-"

"You'll have to. Naruto and I can keep Kakashi occupied, but you'll have to retrieve the scrolls while pretending to just be our backup."

"But… W-What if I-"

"You can do it Hinata-chan!" Grinning, Naruto shot her a thumbs up. "After all, what's most valued is teamwork!"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, smiling weakly. "Hai."

--

_Hmm… It's been a while… _At least fifteen minutes had passed since they'd begun the second test. _Do three Genin really think they can beat me in half an hour? _Chuckling to himself, Kakashi turned another page in his book.

"YO! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" A hoard of Naruto's leaped out of the trees. "COME AND GET US!"

_Baka. Those are only Bunshins, only illusions. _Bored, Kakashi dodged their attacks, letting them eventually die out on their own.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Take this!" Naruto threw a shuriken at him. The Jounin avoided it, raising an eyebrow when he spotted a second one hidden in its shadow. As he moved away from it, Naruto cursed.

_Alright Sasuke… Let's see what you can do… _

Turning slightly, Kakashi felt a group of kunai and shuriken whistling towards his back. _Ah, so he reveals himself. _Deftly, Kakashi blocked them, turning around to face Sasuke. Lunging forward, the Uchiha aimed for his pouch, as Naruto leaped on his back, holding him in place.

_They've gotten better at teamwork, I see. _

"But it's still not good enough!" Kakashi said out loud, twisting around so that Sasuke ended up grappling with his own teammate. With a grunt, Naruto leaped off their sensei's back, and Kakashi turned, facing them.

With battle cries (actually, only the yellow-haired loud one was yelling), the two leaped at him. Out of the corner of his eye, the Jounin could see Hinata crouched at the edge of the trees, her eyes intent on the battle. Preoccupied with dodging the crazy antics of Naruto and the fire jutsus of Sasuke, he took his eyes off her. Smiling, Hinata transformed herself inconspicuously, until she resembled one of the Naruto Bunshins. In a flash, she joined the fight, knowing Kakashi-sensei wouldn't pay her much – or any at all – attention, thinking she was merely an illusion.

_And with any luck, I can use that to grab a scroll. _

It was mindless fighting; with all three of the Genins combined, they were able to stay even with Kakashi – who, admittedly, was holding back most of his power. As the battle proceeded, Hinata attempted to use her Byakugan and seal off his tenketsus.

_Time is running out… Despite everything, Kakashi-sensei still hasn't given us any opportunity to retrieve the scrolls… But… at least it's easier to battle him with his hands partly out of commission. _

Quickly, Sasuke performed another Katon jutsu; he had been using it excessively to renew the battle and let the others recover, but he was beginning to run low on chakra.

_This is bad. There's barely any time left, and Hinata still hasn't gotten the scrolls. Damn. I can't fail here. I'll have to try for the scrolls myself… _

Grinning manically, Naruto attacked Kakashi again, catching him in the aftermath of the fireball.

_Yatta! I don't know what Hinata did, but sensei's attacks are weaker now! It'll be easy to get a scroll now… _

Breathing heavily, Hinata aimed a kunai at him as he was preoccupied with Naruto. She was still disguised as the yellow-haired Genin, therefore… _They gave me a role, an opportunity to be better. _Impulsively, she released the Henge and charged swiftly at Kakashi-sensei, catching everyone by surprise.

_I can do this! _

"Byakugan!"

In a flurry of movement, she began attacking the Jounin, utilizing her countless nights of training. She wasn't very good, and her attacks weren't very accurate, but it was the best she had. Honed reflexes kicked in and she pushed him back, using the element of surprise.

_Impressive_,Kakashi thought, moving into defensive positions. In a real battle he could have stopped her easily, but here it was… _interesting_, to see what she was capable of. Still, it wasn't as if she was going to get a scroll –

The buzzer rang. Swiftly, the silver-haired Jounin grabbed Hinata, twisting her arm around her back, holding her in place. Smiling, he said, "Well, looks like you all-"

"Yatta!"

In shock, Kakashi looked at Sasuke, disbelieving. There, in his hands…

Gasping, Hinata stared at her two teammates, a shy but proud smile spreading across her face.

Laughing, Naruto pointed at their sensei mockingly. "We did it, we did it! We pass! We passed!"

Chuckling to himself, Kakashi released Hinata, the girl stumbling over to her teammate's side.

"So you actually retrieved a scroll."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke turned the scroll over a few times. _Ninjutsu… So this is Hinata's matching scroll. I admit, if it wasn't for her attack at the end, I wouldn't have been able to get the scroll. _

"Ne, ne, Kakashi-sensei. We got a scroll, right? We pass, right?" Naruto laughed boisterously, hands on his hips.

Kakashi smiled and laughed too. "Wrong."

"Eh?"

"You only retrieved one scroll; therefore only one person can pass."

In dismay, Naruto's face dropped. He pouted, glaring at his father's former student.

Sasuke snorted faintly. He knew that. He knew, and he planned on fighting for this scroll, for this chance.

Hinata glanced down, her eyes distant. She wanted to pass so badly, but… Did she deserve to?

"So, you'll have to figure out amongst yourselves who gets that scroll." Kakashi's eyes flashed. "After all… you can only pass if you have two scrolls."

_Two scrolls. _

Inhaling sharply, Hinata looked up suddenly. _Two scrolls. _But…

_Don't_, the discouraging, hopeless part of her brain whispered. _What have they done for you? _

But…

_It was your attack that distracted him. It was you that allowed Sasuke to get the scroll. Fight for it. Fight for it. _

But…

Outside of her brain, she could hear Naruto arguing loudly with Kakashi-sensei, threatening to kick his butt if he didn't let them pass, and Sasuke fiddling with the scroll. She could tell he was itching to just take the scrolls and tell Kakashi-sensei to pass him, and only him.

But…

_If you want to be "worthy", then you have to be a ninja and fight back, don't you? Ne, _Demon Freak_? _

But… If I want to be worthy, then I have to consider myself so first. How can I be proud of myself if…?

"A-Ano…"

"Hai, Hinata-chan? Are you going to argue for your right to the scroll?"

Inhaling deeply, the Hyuuga looked at Kakashi-sensei, and then at her two teammates, the yellow-haired one staring at her with open curiosity, the raven-haired one with implicit interest.

"K-Kakashi-sensei… A-Ano… You said that we need two scrolls to pass… right?"

"Hai – and there's only one extra scroll."

Biting her lip, the white-eyed girl screwed up her courage and reached into her pouch, pulling out her scroll. Clutching it tightly, she shut her eyes and tossed it to Naruto, who caught it in surprise.

"H-Hinata… What are you doing?"

Attempting a smile, she said, "Kakashi-sensei… you only said that we need two scrolls to pass… They each have two now and…"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You're sacrificing yourself for them?"

"W-Well… t-there's four scrolls combined… s-so-"

He shrugged. "Ah… Well then-"

"WAIT!"

"Oh? Are you planning on giving your scrolls to Hinata-chan, Naruto?"

The Genin scowled in response. "No – but, but why can't Hinata-chan pass too?"

"Dobe. She gave her scroll to you."

"Demo, demo… It was because of Hinata that Sasuke-teme over here got the scroll! Why should she have to fail? Why not Sasuke-teme, if anyone? He didn't do anything!"

"Baka – I got the scroll."

"Ah … You see, that's because you pushed me aside; otherwise I would have gotten both scrolls for sure!" Nodding, Naruto laughed loudly, almost obnoxiously. Blinking, Hinata stared at them. Why was he defending her? Why didn't he just take the scroll and pass? Why was he trying to help her?

"A-Ano… Naruto-san… Y-You should just pass…" Kakashi eyed her; it was a selfless act, that was for sure, but what had prompted it? Why was she doing this?

Naruto frowned at her.

Sasuke made a noise before tossing one of his scrolls at Hinata. Startled, she fumbled with it unsurely, her lips pressed together in shock. Sasuke smirked in reply.

"Who wants to be on a team with only the dobe?"

"Yeah, yeah! Who wants-" Naruto cut off abruptly and turned to Sasuke angrily. "Teme! Who said-"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei… Who are you going to pass?"

The Jounin looked at the three, his eyes lighting on each of them.

"It's either all of us or none of us!" Naruto said suddenly, throwing his extra scroll to the ground. "Sensei, you said it!"

"We're a three-man team, right?"

"Yeah! The three of us are ONE!"

"Hai," Hinata said, her hands clutching her single scroll.

"Three are one… eh?" Kakashi slowly walked forward, his hands sealing as dark clouds began to roll in, lightning splitting the sky. "Shinobi Tactic Know-How Number Three… Genjutsu… Which is the scroll Naruto has. In fact…" He pointed at Sasuke. "Taijutsu." His finger moved to Hinata, "Ninjutsu," before coming to rest on Naruto. "Genjutsu." Kakashi spread his arms. "All these are essential parts of being a ninja. Three as one, you said?" The Jounin chuckled as thunder cracked loudly above.

"However, you only have three scrolls combined, when I told you that you needed six. As a consequence…" He leaned down, eyes narrowed and intent on them.

"You pass!"

Slowly, the dark clouds faded away, revealing the same blue sky they had seen earlier.

_Except now, the sun seems so much brighter. _Hinata smiled, her head tilted back towards the sky. She understood now, the real test that Kakashi had put them through. And she was grateful, to herself, to Kakashi-sensei… and to her teammates.

"You guys are the first. The others up until now were idiots who did whatever I said." Straightening, Kakashi said, "A ninja must read underneath the underneath. While it's true that you should fight for what you believe in, you don't always follow the rules. In the ninja world, those who do not follow the rules are called trash… But, you know…those that don't take care of their friends are worse than trash!"

Naruto grinned eagerly, tossing his scroll up in the air.

"We passed!"

Sasuke shook his head, a half-smile on his face. Somehow, it all led back to Hinata, the reason they had passed. _They might actually be interesting… _

Hinata laughed; this was a first. The first time she had been on a team, the first time she had helped others, the first time others had helped her.

Raising an eyebrow, Kakashi surveyed his team. Team Seven. Two powerful bloodlines and a legendary Bijuu. Not to mention the most unpredictable, hyperactive kid he had ever seen.

_This ought to be fun… _

* * *

Xue: Yeah, yeah. I'm the worst updater in the world. But I felt like I should do this now, because finals are coming up. Yay. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own a teddy bear :D

Summery: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, it's been a while. But you haven't missed much – I consider this chapter "filler". But there's character development and some fluff, so enjoy!

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Four **

Hinata doesn't quite understand why…

When she wakes up the morning after…

Why she feels so…

Different.

But never mind that – she doesn't want to be late to her (and privately she thinks "their", though she isn't quite sure why) first training session as a Genin.

Not when they're the first that Kakashi-sensei has ever passed.

And especially not when she has finally found a place – albeit a shaky and almost unsure one – on Team 7.

--

"Ne, ne, what kind of mission do you think we'll get today? … Ne?"

"P-Probably just another D-D-rank mission, Naruto-san."

Naruto sighed. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, why can't we do more interesting missions?"

"Why don't you ask your father, Naruto-kun?"

"Demo, demo… wouldn't it be bad if he showed favoritism-"

"Ah, Team 7." The Genin team slowed, standing in front of the Hokage and Iruka.

Kakashi smiled, raising a hand in greeting. "Hokage-sama."

Hinata bowed, and addressed him shyly, as Sasuke shifted slightly, his stance indifferent. In complete contrast, Naruto waved eagerly.

"Ne, ne, what kind of mission do we get today?"

The Hokage smiled, shuffling through some papers. "Well, you can a choice now; you could either catch the daimyo wife's cat… do repairs for the Elders… or…"

"Or, or?"

"Plant potatoes."

Crestfallen, Naruto shrunk into a ball. Sheepishly, Kakashi accepted a scroll and dragged Naruto out, Sasuke following. Behind them, Hinata turned to face them at the doorway and bowed again before leaving.

--

"Oi, Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata."

The Genin obediently trotted over to Kakashi, who sat them down in the grass.

"Let's try a little taijutsu exercise; I've written everyone's name on a piece of paper, and you'll each choose one. You'll spar with whoever's name is on the paper, using only taijutsu, and if we're lucky, everyone will have the chance to fight the other two." He waved a hand over the three folded pieces of paper scattered on the ground. "Pick one."

They each reached for one, slowly unfolding it.

"HA! I'm going to kick your butt, Sasuke!"

"A-Ano… N-Naruto-san… I got your name."

"Hn."

Kakashi smiled. "Then, how about we have Sasuke and Hinata fight first!"

Hinata paled in response. They had been a team for just two weeks now, but she had already seen her teammate's prowess on the battlefield, significantly better than hers. _I hope he doesn't envision the man he wants to kill when he fights… _

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. His first impression of her hadn't been… very good. After the scroll test, though, he admitted that she had some skills; he was also interested in the taijutsu style she used. It would be… educational… to spar with her.

"_Hinata_! Do your best!"

"Oi. Just watch them."

Hinata and Sasuke faced each other. She smiled weakly, and then activated her Byakugan. Quickly, she rushed at him, thrusting a hand at his chest. _If I'm going to fight him, I might as well try. _

Nimbly, Sasuke leaped back, avoiding her attack. Launching into a quick back flip, he used the momentum to propel himself towards her, fist drawn back.

_He… He's fast, _Hinata thought dimly, starting briefly before leaning back at the last minute, his punch sailing over her. She could feel it. She could feel the adrenaline of battle, because this was very honestly the first time she had sparred like this with one of her teammates.

As her head sailed towards the ground, she arched her back, setting her hands on the ground; her flexibility had always been one of her strong points.

Testing her weight on her hands, she kicked off the ground with her feet and twisted backwards until she landed again, in a slight crouch, with considerable distance from her opponent. Eyes wary, she settled back into her taijutsu stance, one formulated after weeks of training.

They circled each other briefly, before launching their own volley of attacks again, meeting each other for a quick battle of close combat. Hinata's hands sparked with concentrated beams of chakra, as Sasuke alternated between conventional taijutsu and perfectly timed attacks with a kunai.

As Hinata let her body take over, attacking when she could, and dodging when she had to, she could feel her confidence slip. She had yet to properly land an attack on him, and it appeared as if he couldn't be bothered to put any real effort into avoiding her strikes. She had no chance of winning against him, the Number One Rookie of the Year and the famed Uchiha survivor.

With a final blow, the two simultaneously leaped back, so that they stood in their original positions, facing each other.

She panted slightly; between avoiding his attacks and her own unease at her abilities, she felt tired already. Noticeably tired, unlike him.

Taking advantage of her momentary lull, Sasuke released another attack. Caught by surprise, Hinata struggled, finding herself at yet another disadvantage. Where the match had once been fairly close, Sasuke having a minor advantage, he was suddenly driving her backwards, spurred on by her faltering weakness.

With a quick exchange of blows, it was over, and Sasuke stood. Victorious, in a way, but, Hinata noted, not without a number of closed tenketsus.

After a moment, she stood and they retreated back to the sidelines, where Kakashi appraised them carefully, having set his book aside.

"Hinata-chan! That was so cool! – way better than Sasuke-teme…"

As Naruto began to talk with Hinata, commenting on their battle, Sasuke stood, a fair distance from the two. His hands were at his side, clenched slightly. It was strange for him; she had evaded nearly all his attacks until the very end, and had come at him with her own strikes, of a taijutsu style he was completely unfamiliar with, yet one that had given him an actual challenge of sorts. His breathing was harsher than normal, and his chest constricted with a distant fear that she might be able to best him someday, at this rate.

She was certainly better than he had originally thought. He had never been even remotely impressed with the skills of the other girls at the Academy, but apparently she had escaped his notice. Fortunately for him, she seemed to reciprocate his disinterest, and hadn't invested in a crush like so many others had.

Sasuke smirked faintly. This might be a team worth his time.

--

"Nani, nani? You'll teach me a new technique?!"

Sighing heavily, Kakashi nodded again. "Hai, but only if you pay attention."

Hinata smiled, indulging in a short break. It was always amusing to watch her teammates (and sometimes even their sensei) trade blows.

"Now, Naruto-kun, I noticed that you have a great deal of chakra; it's possible that your supplies exceed my own-"

"_REALLY_?!"

"Dobe."

"Teme! You're just jealous because Kakashi-sensei is teaching me a new technique and not you!"

Hinata leaned back; she had heard this argument more than once already. At some point, she might have to go in there, and say their names quietly, imploring them to stop (which would result in Sasuke sighing and waving off Naruto, who would then yell futilely for another minute before turning to talk to Hinata).

But for now she was completely content to-

"HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto came running over to her, grinning with excitement. Hinata stood, her smile sweet and firmly in place.

"Hai, Naruto-kun?"

"Kakashi-sensei said he would teach me Kage Bunshin!"

"D-Demo… Isn't that a Jounin-level technique?"

He beamed, leaning forward, his thumb jabbing his chest. "Perfect for someone like me!"

--

"A-Ano… Hinata-chan…"

"Hai, Naruto-kun?"

"I-… Is this a weed?"

In alarm, the dark-haired girl looked up to see her teammate sheepishly holding a clump of plants, roots and all. They had been given a D-rank mission to help a middle-aged woman with her garden, and unfortunately, Hinata seemed to be the only person who could competently complete the mission.

"N-Naruto-kun! Th-Those are herbs… Important medicinal herbs."

"Oh? Medicine?" Naruto peered closer at the plants in his hand. "How'd you know that?"

"W-Well… I kind of want to be a-a med-nin…"

"That's so cool, Hinata-chan!"

"Th-That's not the point!" Hinata said quickly, looking away. "Y-You'd better… plant those back before-"

"Oi! Kids! How're you doing?" A rather pleasant looking woman came over, a hopeful smile on her face. Hinata bit her lip slightly; from what she had seen so far, she was very protective and proud of her garden…

_Naruto-kun… _

"Ne, Obaa-chan! You sure have a lot of weeds here!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Baka… Those are my plants!" As she lifted her hand to strike the Genin, Hinata hastily moved forward.

"A-Ano…! I'm sure it was an accident… h-he was just careless… Naruto-kun was just about to help you plant them again… Right, Naruto-kun?"

The blond frowned, eyeing his pile of "weeds", and then turning his head to glance at their customer's vicious look and Hinata's uneasy, pleading one.

"Hai," he said, before turning around to yell across the yard. "Oi! Sasuke-teme! Get over here and help me plant these!"

Sighing, Hinata turned to the woman and bowed. "Gomen. I'm sure we'll be done soon."

"Well, you're a polite girl… Wait…" She squinted slightly, leaning forward to peer more closely at the Hyuuga. "You're… You're the-!" Choking on her words, the older woman stumbled back before shooting her a discreet glare.

Blinking back tears, Hinata stooped, running her hands through the dirt. In the background she could hear Naruto and Sasuke yelling… but…

_It doesn't really matter. _

--

Sasuke kneeled. He wasn't one for religion, or relying on some higher being to do what he could do himself. Especially not after they had cursed him so. However, he felt that he should at least appreciate some of the kinder things they threw his way – such as having someone else other than the dobe on his team.

Unless you weren't supposed to use derogatory names when praying.

Not that he was praying.

Just thinking.

It had been a month since they formed Team 7. A month since that damned scroll test. In all honesty, nothing much had been accomplished in that last month; they had completed various D-rank missions and mostly just trained. Usually, he didn't regard the "training" as much; routinely conditioning and exercises for speed and strength. Not much on jutsus or how he could quickly become stronger.

Useless.

He supposed the others would regard this past month as some well-needed social training. (Well-needed _what_? He wasn't going to _charm_ Itachi into letting him kill him.) Social training. He could deal with that after he dealt with his brother.

Speaking of which, he should probably go train.

But maybe he could just think for a little while.

Because he's not praying or giving thanks or doing any one of those gracious things that social training teaches you.

Right now he just wants to think.

--

Naruto grinned. Sometimes he really liked being the Hokage's son. For one thing, everyone knew and liked him (although, he liked to think that that was because of his natural charm). And of course, the Hokage was the coolest person in the village; which meant his dad was the coolest. Which he was.

Other times, being the Hokage's son wasn't such a great thing.

It had been another usual day of training and missions (D-rank! Always D-rank!), and right now he just wanted to eat ramen and sleep.

Maybe think a little.

It had been a month since he had become a Genin – a whole month since that stupid scroll test (which he liked to think that he passed because of his obvious talent). When he told his Tou-san about it, he had only smiled, saying that was a surprise (he was sure that he meant it was a surprise that Sasuke-teme had passed). Then, with little prompting, Naruto had launched into a rant about his teammates, highlighting Hinata's "very cool" fighting style and Sasuke's "not as cool" fire jutsus.

And then he's left to think about his completely uncool Bunshins.

Doubt is a vicious thing; everyone experiences it regardless of how talented or how confident they are.

A part of Naruto knows that Sasuke and Hinata are special – special in a way that he isn't. They both can do some funky thing with their eyes (although Sasuke can't yet – Naruto likes to think that it's because he isn't very talented), and they're both good at taijutsu and chakra control and stuff that he isn't.

Although, he is proud of learning Kage Bunshin, and learning it quickly too. He can't do anything extreme yet, but he's getting there.

One strike for the blond-haired dobe.

Dammit.

All this thinking was hurting his brain, when his body's already tired.

Right now he just wants to sleep.

--

Hinata leaned back. It had been a while she felt so… calm. Relaxed. Peaceful. There was something oddly satisfying about training until you were dead-tired. It was difficult to explain. That feeling that came after a long, hard workout where you felt dazed and soft and good about yourself.

It was something she wasn't very familiar with.

Usually after she trained, all she could feel was the biting disappointment that she hadn't done very well, or made any significant progress.

Luckily, that had all changed a month ago.

It had been a month since she graduated from the Academy, and a month since that eye-opening scroll test. Privately, she felt that in that short month, she had grown more than she had in twelve years.

Everything, everyday, every moment. Despite her teammates growing restlessness, Hinata was – for now, at least – quite content with D-rank missions and daily training. In a way, it all led back to Kakashi-sensei; she still squirmed in awe when she recalled his speech about teamwork.

And this past month had been practically nothing but teamwork.

It may not have seemed like much for the others, but she loved it. It had been so long since she felt the warmth of a congratulations or the joy of belonging. She had gotten to know both their fighting styles, but more importantly, their personalities. She knew when to let them fight it out and when to intervene. She knew when Naruto was close to his limit in training, and when Sasuke was close to his limit in "Naruto-toleration".

Hyuuga Hinata was in love. With Team 7.

She knew she was being clingy, but… she also knows that this peace can only last for so long.

Then again, she doesn't feel like thinking about that.

Right now she just wants to smile.

* * *

Xue: The next arc is a major one, where a lot happens. So if you're reading and you want us to update or you're confused or if you just want to say something, please do!


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Hi.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: Nothing much to say here. How's life?

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Five**

Hinata exhaled slowly before launching into a flurry of attacks aimed at a straw dummy. At the edge of the training area, Naruto was practicing his chakra control and building up his chakra reserves. To the side, Sasuke was training with a variety of weapons and practicing his aim.

Kakashi stood in the middle, his signature orange book in his hands.

Glancing up at the sky, Kakashi nodded and, a bit reluctantly, stored his book away. In silent agreement, the three Genin stopped their training and slowly gravitated toward their sensei.

"Guess it's time to head over to the Hokage Tower."

--

"Hokage-sama… Are you sure about this?"

"Of course; they're a highly capable team with a very able sensei-" here Yondaime smiled at his own teaching success- "And I have a very good reason to be accompanying them."

Iruka frowned. "No disrespect meant, but… Are you sure this isn't favoritism?"

The Hokage's smile dropped. "When you have the survivors of two powerful clans who have both inherited equally powerful bloodline limits, it's difficult to call it favoritism. And… I do have certain… duty to-"

"Uzumaki Naruto! Arrived!"

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Dobe."

"EH?! You want to fight?"

Kakashi coughed loudly. "Ah – Sensei, Iruka. Any new missions for us?"

The Hokage sighed in reply. "Kakashi… I haven't been your sensei in over a decade." Iruka raised an eyebrow at the seemingly irrelevant words. Was the Hokage trying to delay the mission he himself had delegated for Team 7?

Apparently not, as Yondaime's next words were, "I have a mission for you." Clearing his throat, the yellow-haired man shuffled some papers. "Your team has an exceptional record and… I feel that you are up to the challenge of a C-rank mission."

And thus, for the one hundred and twenty-third time, Iruka found himself in need of earplugs (honestly, he had very happily chucked his last pair when Naruto graduated).

"C-rank?" Kakashi seemed mildly interested in this acknowledgement of his team. "What would it consist of?"

"So you accept?"

"Hell yeah we accept!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

The Hokage sighed, though a small grin played at his lips. "I really don't know where he gets it from…"

Iruka cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem… The mission, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, yes. It would consist of delivering a scroll to Kumogakure(1)." There was a pause, and then he added, "Accompanied by me."

_Tou-san is going on a mission? With my team? Ha! He must have heard how cool Team 7 is! _

_The Hokage is… leaving Konoha? To lead us on a mission? What's going on? _

_Something's wrong here. No Kage would do something so foolhardy, so risky… then again, like father like son. _

The yellow-haired man smiled warmly. "Don't look so surprised; I have a few business matters with the Raikage, meaning I'm heading that way too."

_Amazing how casual he makes it seem. "I'm heading that way"? He sounds as if he's going to the grocery store. _Iruka kept his gaze down and on the papers in front of him.

"I figured it would be a good opportunity to evaluate this team."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. _The Hokage would never just leave Konoha without an excellent reason. Even meetings with other Kages are done with much more fanfare. _

"Hokage-sama-" Kakashi lifted his hand slightly.

"Another reason why I'll be leading Team Seven's mission; Kakashi, I have a mission for you. A-rank, with two others." The Hokage held out a scroll. "I'd like you to stay behind for a mission debriefing."

Kakashi accepted the scroll and stepped back. Yondaime smiled amiably in response.

"Then, Team 7… I expect to see you at the gates in twenty minutes."

--

"Ano… Naruto-kun… Do you know why the Hokage is coming with us?"

Naruto shrugged and grinned at Hinata. "That's my Tou-san for you!"

Sasuke looked away in response and Hinata frowned faintly; their teammate had said absolutely nothing that would answer the question and his words offered little comfort. Naruto swiveled his gaze from one to the other.

"You're not worried, are you? My Tou-san wouldn't do anything that could put Konoha in danger – he's the strongest shinobi in the village!"

"N-No, Naruto-kun. W- erm, _I_, wasn't doubting that. He… He's a very good ninja. He's saved the village… many times…" Her head lowered slightly and her eyes wandered to her stomach and the seal there, hidden by her bulky clothing.

Naruto squinted into the distance. "Ne, ne! I see him!" He grinned at them, and Hinata smiled back unconsciously. As the yellow-haired man approached them, he smiled, resembling his son. He had forsaken his Kage robes and was instead wearing a typical Jounin uniform in its place.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan." The Hokage nodded to each of them before pulling two scrolls out of his pack. He opened one and laid it on the ground, keeping a firm grip on the other.

"We'll be traveling to Kumogakure to deliver _this_ scroll," he held up the sealed scroll, "to the Raikage. If we were aiming for speed, we could reach the village within three days, but since I'd like to take this chance to evaluate your progress, I've given this mission an estimate of about ten days.

"Now, the plan is to travel during the day and camp at night. We'll be following a very direct route with me in the lead, but a specific formation isn't very important. However," his eyes trained on Hinata. "Hinata. I've heard of your… eyes. I'd like you to occasionally scout the area while we're traveling."

"H-Hai, Hokage-sama."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. He had witnessed his teammate's ability firsthand, and he had always had his own suspicions. Hinata didn't belong to a clan, at least not one he was aware of. There was a minute possibility that she possessed a bloodline limit, but if so, why wasn't it ever spoken of? There was no prestige or glory surrounding it, no legends… not like the Sharingan.

"Any questions? No? Then I suppose we're off!"

--

Naruto sighed heavily.

"Tou-san… this is… boring…"

"Naruto… This is more of a guard mission than one that involves action. You'll see plenty of that once you're more experienced."

"Demo… I thought since you were here…"

The Hokage sighed, and glanced up at the sky.

"We've been traveling for hours now…"

Sasuke tilted his head to catch sight of a swiftly fleeting shadow in the woods. **Wot? **_Just… random description. Shows that they're not paying attention to Naruto. _**Oh I thought that was implying like, a person….in the woods…ready to kill….oh….prolly should change it to something less foreshadowy.**

"And nothing has happened…"

Hinata shifted the pack she was carrying.

"And-!"

"Naruto-kun."

"Hai, Hinata-chan?" He turned to look at her, and met the bored eyes of Sasuke.

"Dobe."

Yondaime laughed. "Let's set up camp; we're not in a hurry."

--

_Thunk. _

_Thunk. _

_Thwack. _

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata-chan! What's up?" The blonde boy looked up, smiling quickly.

"Your kunai missed." She smiled at him, a kunai dangling from her finger. "You should be more careful about your aim." Her eyes were light and her voice gently admonishing.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Hinata-chan. Guess I was distracted."

Her eyes clouded over briefly before walking over and gently touching his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, you really don't have to train anymore."

He frowned, and reached into his weapons pouch with his free hand to pull out another kunai. "I think I'll stay a little longer; I got to train to be stronger!" He flashed his customary grin, and she reluctantly pulled away (although the ready kunai in his hand may have encouraged her).

"Well, Naruto-kun… The food should be ready soon, so…" She bit her lip slightly. "Don't push yourself too hard, we need you in case we're attacked, this is a C-rank mission after all." Smiling, Hinata retreated from the small clearing.

Naruto watched her leave before sighing and throwing his kunai again. When Team 7 was first made, he had naturally assumed (a little too quickly assumed) that Hinata would be the member that needed the most training, the most help to become a great shinobi.

But then she had fought with Kakashi-sensei in the scroll test. But then she had sparred with Sasuke-teme in taijutsu. He couldn't help but think that Hinata might become a stronger ninja than him.

And she was a really good cook.

Hinata made good ramen.

"Naruto-kun!" The Yondaime stepped into the designated training area. "Time to eat."

"Who cooked?"

Smirking, his dad winked. "Me."

Making a face, Naruto said, "Then I'm having instant ramen tonight!"

The Hokage snorted. "I'm kidding – you think I could cook for four people? Hinata made dinner." Walking back towards their camp, he added, "Besides, I wouldn't let you have instant ramen for the third night in a row."

"Fourth. I did some extra training the night before we left. I didn't have time to eat."

"Obviously you wouldn't know how to pack a bento." Sasuke said as he took a bite of a rice ball.

Pouting, Naruto grabbed the first thing he saw and took a large bite. "This is good, Hinata-chan!" he declared once finished.

"Better than anything you could make."

"Teme."

"Dobe."

"Play nice now."

Hinata exhaled ruefully. She'd really wanted to avoid one of their arguments, harmless as it was. Oh well. She'd thought ahead.

"Ano… Naruto-kun." She reached behind her.

"Hai, Hinata-cha- Arigato, Hinata-chan!"

Eagerly he reached for the bowl she held out to him. Chortling gleefully, Naruto snapped a pair of chopsticks (that he had very honestly produced out of nowhere; it appears that his obnoxious orange outfit has many secret compartments) and lifted a wave of ramen triumphantly.

"Itadakimasu!" With that, he began to eat

"_Thank_ you," Sasuke muttered, taking another rice ball.

Hinata's lips curved. "You're welcome," she said, her eyes on Naruto, who was happily oblivious to their exchange.

_Correction: Hinata makes very good ramen. _

As the four sat in silence, interrupted only by Naruto's loud slurping (which earned him scathing looks from Sasuke and disapproving looks from his father), the Yondaime pulled a scroll from his pouch.

"Ne, Tou-san – what's that scroll about?"

He held up the scroll. "This? Now, that I cannot tell you," he said.

"Why not?"

The Hokage chuckled. "Alright then – let's make this into a lesson. When you're given a mission to escort something, whether a scroll like this or an artifact, you're expected to not inquire into it."

"Eh?"

"He means you shouldn't look at it, read it, or try and use it for yourself," Hinata said, flushing when Naruto's dad beamed at her in response.

"Right, that's basically it. As a shinobi, loyalty to your village is required, and there are some things that will be trusted to you. If you can prove yourself worthy, then you have to trust in your Kage – me – and just carry out the mission."

Naruto frowned. "Did we need to hear that? All I wanted to know was what was inside the scroll."

"Dobe. He just explained that."

"N-Naruto-kun… We probably aren't allowed to read that scroll. I-It's probably… some sort of secret or something above us."

"Right, Hinata-chan. But since this is a just a C-rank mission, it's nothing that others will come after us for." The Yondaime tapped the scroll he held. "This is just something we have to deliver to Kumogakure. But since you're all good shinobi, you would be loyal enough and trust me enough to simply deliver it without curiosity."

Sasuke looked away. _Good shinobi… Loyal enough… Trust… _Sasuke scowled, his eyes concentrated on the flames. No matter where he went, or what he did, his brother seemed to follow him. Others' words seemed to mock him. Itachi had been a "good shinobi", one of the best. But he certainly wasn't very loyal, and didn't trust many. He had proved countless times that these kinds of traits would only weaken someone; weigh them down with unnecessary emotions. But…

The Yondaime glanced over at Sasuke. Everyone in the village knew about the tragic Uchiha clan, the Uchiha massacre and the only survivor. Konoha had once been a proud village that boasted powerful bloodlines and sturdy clans. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Hinata-chan, where'd you learn how to cook? I mean, usually we have someone do it for us, since my dad's the Hokage and all, or we go out to eat, but someone must have taught you, right? And this is really good ramen…"

Hinata smiled faintly. Naruto was a good person, a cheerful person who grew up normally. It was almost unfair that he'd been put on a team with her, someone completely different from him. Quiet where he was loud, shy where he was exuberant, lonely where he was friendly… alone, when he had possibly the best father in the village. And normal, where she was a freak.

The Hokage sighed. He suddenly felt very old, as he watched this mismatched trio mesh and collide in volatile patterns to form a team that had more potential than any he'd ever seen in the past.

"You should all get some rest. We're less than a day away from Kumogakure; we should reach the village tomorrow."

He shooed them into their tents, ready to take the first watch. Settling down, the Hokage narrowed his eyes and turned his head slightly to stare into the darkened woods. He felt like a character out of a fantasy story; "Little did he know that the lurking shadow in the woods would result in his imminent death…"

He laughed quietly, and settled down for the next few hours.

--

"This isn't going to be easy. Heh."

"No, this is your idea of fun."

"Who would have known that Konoha's Yellow Flash himself would be our opponent?"

"The perceptive could have seen this."

"I knew those eyes could do more than Genjutsu."

"Ah. I see. After all these years you still haven't bothered to learn the full range of my abilities."

"So you can do more than make people run screaming at the sight of you?"

"Unfortunately, you have yet to garner yourself a reputation worthy of such a thing."

"Cruel as always."

"Yes. Now cease this uselessness."

"We have time."

"Do not forget our mission."

"Of course. Don't forget your eye drops."

"…That was unnecessary."

* * *

Xue: And now we're getting into the really big arc. Like, really big. (Actually not that big but as big as our little story is going to get…) It's time for the action to start! ;) I would be much obliged if you would review :P

(1) Kumogakure - Cloud (but I'm sure most of you figured that out)


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing

Summery: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: Uh… been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the long wait, but here, in all its glory, is Chapter 6!

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Six**

Hinata leaned forward, a smile on her face. This mission had been her first opportunity to leave Konoha, and this was the first time she had ever seen another village.

It looked amazing.

Craning her neck, Hinata marveled at the architecture and the large structures, similar but different to the ones surrounding Konoha. The shinobi guards at the door stopped them.

"Hello!" Minato said before the guards could speak. "We're envoys from Konoha; we have an appointment with the Raikage."

"The Raikage?" One raised an eyebrow. "We weren't informed about any envoys from Konoha."

"Ah, well… It was a bit of a rush." The Hokage rubbed his head sheepishly, but Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

_A rush? He said he had a few business matters, but if they were informal enough to not even inform the Raikage of them ahead of time, why would they require the Hokage traveling all the way to Cloud to meet with him?_

Minato held out a small scroll that had been tucked inside his Jounin vest. "The signature is authentic and everything."

The two ninja opened the scroll and scanned it. "He's right; the stamp of Konoha and the signature of Yondaime Hokage." Shrugging, he handed the scroll back to the yellow-haired man. "Just know that they'll examine it more closely before they let you see the Raikage."

"Fair enough," he said and walked through the now-open gates, Team 7 trailing behind him.

--

"The Raikage?" The Cloud Chuunin frowned. "I… highly doubt that the Raikage would abandon his duties to meet with someone who doesn't even have an appointment." He scanned the scroll in front of him again, sighing. "Even with this scroll, and the Hokage's signature, I cannot assure you of anything."

"Then…" Minato frowned briefly before grinning again. "Tell him Uzumaki is here to see him. Or better yet, say 'Yellow Flash'." Bewildered, the Chuunin nodded before walking off, muttering about how that name sounded familiar. The Hokage turned to the Genin and winked.

"If the man has any memory, he'll know who I am."

Surely enough, minutes later a stately figure in the Kage robes walked out, the Cloud nin trailing after him, feebly saying that he could have just retrieved the visitors from Konoha and Raikage-sama you really shouldn't have come all the way out here…

"Why wouldn't I come out to greet the visitors myself?" The older man raised an eyebrow. "It's unlike you to leave Konoha for anything but emergencies… Hokage-sama."

"Well," He couldn't help but smile as a few of the ninjas loitering around the lobby reacted audibly to the title. "I had some issues to discuss with you. Besides…" Yondaime smirked. "I needed the fresh air."

--

"Then… what are we doing?"

"Hokage-sama said we could… walk around a bit… Explore Kumogakure… i-if we didn't go far…" Hinata suddenly shut her mouth in dismay as she realized it had gone quiet at her words. Both Sasuke and Naruto were staring at her contemplatively.

"Okay then!" Naruto perked up immediately. "Let's go! Hinata-chan! Sasuke-teme!"

Reluctantly, Sasuke let himself be dragged towards the shops and restaurants of the village, Naruto doing most of the dragging and Hinata following along obediently.

"Dango!" Naruto crowed and pranced towards a small shop, eagerly buying the treat. Taking the dango, he pulled one off the stick and savored it, walking back towards his teammates.

"Here," he said, holding out two sticks of the treat. "You can have them."

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke said under his breath, but accepted it grudgingly as his blond teammate waved it in his face. As he took the dango, Naruto let out a victory cry.

"Hah! There! You owe me now, Sasuke!"

He snorted in reply. Hinata smiled and took a bite of her's.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"No problem, Hinata-chan!" he said. "Don't worry – you don't owe me anything."

She smiled at him and took another bite of her dango.

--

"Now, Hokage-sama, why are you really here?"

Minato chuckled to himself. "You really don't miss anything, do you?"

"As a Kage, I know the devotion one has to his village, and I know that Konoha is prosperous and powerful enough to be a tempting target. Particularly if their Hokage is missing."

"Raikage-sama-"

"It's those Genin, isn't it? One looks remarkably like you."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Everyone says he looks like me and acts like his mom."

"Poor kid," the Raikage said bluntly.

"Hah!" Yondaime leaned back casually, completely at ease. "But I did have something to discuss with you." He pulled out a scroll. "First off, this scroll is the official document that I assigned to be guarded."

The Raikage took it and broke it open, pulling it open. His eyes scanned the words before setting it down.

"That is rather anticlimactic."

Minato grinned. "I know. Agriculture reports aren't nearly as exciting as declarations of war."

"Get to the point."

His face turned serious. "Have you heard reports of a group of rogue ninja? All S-class missing nin; there's been a few suspicious reports lately, but the idea of these powerful criminals working together seems so extreme that most ignore them."

"And you believe them?"

"I'm actually not so concerned about them at the moment, but rather what they're doing." He leaned forward. "This many power-hungry ninjas who betrayed their village can't be planning anything small. And the person with enough authority and power to control them isn't thinking about world peace."

"So you come all the way to Kumogakure to tell me of your little hunches?" The Raikage smirked. "I'm flattered, really."

"It's more than a hunch," he said. "I've been a ninja for over two decades – I can tell when there are people following me."

The Raikage's eyes sharpened and he raised an eyebrow. "Following you? For what purpose? It's ridiculous to think that they're after the Hokage."

Minato closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can think of a few things they might be after…"

"I'll trust your judgment then. You'll be leaving Kumogakure soon, I assume?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Can't stay away from Konoha too long."

"Be careful then – wouldn't want your Sandaime to have to come out of retirement."

He made a face. "Old man Sarutobi would kill me if I made him do something like that. He'd probably have a minor heart attack himself, in any case."

The Raikage raised an eyebrow. "You always were a strange one, Minato-san."

His smile faded as he looked out the window.

"It's been a while since anyone has been able to act like this."

There was a long pause, as the two great leaders of their village sat in silence, before Minato broke out into his trademark grin and turned back to him.

The Raikage had the fleeting impression that he should remember this smile, this expression, the face of one of the greatest ninjas to have ever lived.

--

"So, that's it then? We're really done here?"

Naruto let out a heaving sigh and plopped down in the road with a pout.

"Tou-san – we've been in Kumogakure for barely a day! Ne, let's stay longer; we can do that, right?"

Minato rolled his eyes and ruffled his son's hair in response. "Hey, Hinata-chan – why don't you tell this dolt why we can't stay longer?"

"Ah…" Hinata bit her lip slightly before saying, "Naruto-kun… H-Hokage-sama told us at the beginning of the mission that we would have a limit of about t-ten days." She paused, glancing at the Hokage for confirmation. "We've been gone almost… f-five or six days now. Um…" She struggled with her words, unsure if she was being cheeky or not. "We shouldn't waste time o-or stay here too long."

"Correct." Minato winked at Hinata. "So Naruto… ready to go?"

The blond ninja sighed and hefted his pack back onto his shoulders, flashing a sudden grin. "Back to Konoha, then!"

The Hokage smiled and turned his head towards Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun – have you had your fill of Kumogakure yet? Ready to go?"

He grunted in acquiescence, nodding once. Naruto made a face; stupid teme, too good to give an actual answer.

Minato looked at them, and smiled. He really was getting too old for this.

As the four made to leave, a stately figure walked up to them, trailed by two confused, pleading ninjas.

"Hokage-sama."

"Raikage-sama – come to see us off?" Minato smiled cheekily, and gestured towards the robes and hat. "And dressed up too? You make me feel shabby in comparison…"

The Raikage shook his head, and then glanced towards the three genin. "So this is the genin team that is temporarily led by the Hokage." The dark-haired one was an imposing figure, even at this young age. The sight of the blond boy couldn't help but bring a half-smile to his face – anyone could see his father in him, but fewer could tell that there was a shinobi lying in wait, and a formidable one, if he tried.

His eyes landed on the white-eyed girl, who was biting her lip, her eyes darting around.

"I can see why," the Raikage said, and turned his eyes fully on his fellow Kage.

"Keep the village safe," Minato said, shrugging as he adopted a quieter voice, losing none of the command he had developed over years of being the Hokage.

The Raikage nodded, lowering his hat slightly, as he watched the four depart from Kumogakure. There was something he wanted to say, something he felt he should say. But he remained silent.

And he watched as the shinobi of Konoha embarked on what was to be their longest journey yet.

--

The Hokage Monument stood, stately and unmoving, a symbol of the power of the Hokage and his people. It stood as a physical protector of the village, but more as a metaphorical protector that was always there, always watching over the future of Konoha.

The greatest shinobi of the village would be immortalized there forever.

Partly because they were great.

Partly because it was all the village could do in return for these people who loved them so much that they knew they would someday, somehow, sacrifice themselves for it.

Whether they would have to live emptily or die peacefully, in some way a part of them would be given up for the village.

Whether they did it willingly and happily, or grudgingly and regretfully, all who ever held the title Hokage knew that the Hokage Monument would someday, perhaps, be all that was left of them in the village.

Sandaime exhaled a thin stream of smoke. Ah… he looked so much younger in stone. He snorted quietly to himself and lowered the Hokage hat (which he hadn't worn in years, and had been quite skeptical when Yondaime had come to him, asking for a brief vacation and would he please come out of retirement for just a few days?).

He hadn't worn this hat in years.

He hadn't thought much about the monument before.

Perhaps when Minato returned, he would talk with him about filling in the cracks that were beginning to form in the stone.

--

They were traveling at a much faster pace, Hinata noticed. On the way to Kumogakure, it had taken them nearly four days – by now it was only their second night back on the road, and she could tell that they had already made progress into the Country of Fire.

They were setting up camp for the night now, all three Genin looking marginally relieved that they were resting.

"Cheers, to your first C-rank mission." Minato lifted a canteen of water. "And to my first C-rank mission in over a decade."

Naruto laughed loudly. "Wait till we tell everyone we did a C-rank! Isn't it awesome, Hinata-chan?"

She smiled, setting away some of the cooking supplies from their dinner. "I-… It's a good first step, Naruto-kun."

"Ne, Tou-san, we should get more C-rank missions! They're not hard – we can do them!"

Minato shook his head. "Let's talk about that when we get back to Konoha – I'm sure Kakashi would be absolutely thrilled to hear that." He grinned wryly, and then stood.

"Hinata, why don't you take the first shift? I'll be out to relieve you in a while."

"Night, Hinata!" Naruto said, disappearing into the tent.

"Sleep well, Naruto-kun… Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke paused before nodding at her and following Naruto.

Hinata exhaled quietly, and settled herself next to the dying embers of the fire, smiling.

Time passed. The forest was quiet, save for the usual sounds of night. The fire flickered, casting long shadows across the ground, outlining her figure. Her thoughts wandered, her eyes grew heavy.

Blinking furiously, Hinata shook herself alert – she still wasn't used to keeping watch, not when there seemed to be so little danger. But, then, what would Hokage-sama say if he came out and found her sleeping? Hinata activated her Byakugan and cast them around the forest.

Nothing.

Sighing, she relaxed and looked back towards the fire, chin propped in her hand.

Which was how Minato found her.

"Hinata?"

Startled, the Hyuuga sprung up, eyes blazing. When she caught sight of the Hokage, her tense figure loosened, and she blushed faintly.

"H-Hokage-sama… Gomen. I didn't see you…. W-Well, y-yes, I saw you, but-"

"No, no, that's good that you were alert despite everything. Although, when you saw me," his eyes turned partially serious, "you shouldn't have automatically assumed that I was the real person. A simple Henge can fool many people. Now then," he continued. "What could you ask me to ensure that I really am the Hokage?"

"U-Um…" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What… What is… Naruto-kun's… favorite food?"

He laughed. "Ramen, Hinata-chan. Ramen, and every single flavor of it as well." He grinned, glancing back towards the tent. "That is both clever and amusing, Hinata." He sat down near her, on the other side of the fire.

"How has it been out here?"

"W-Well… there hasn't been anything so far…" She looked down and away and shrugged. "I didn't sense any danger."

"Okay." Minato paused and frowned. There was so much he wanted to say; so much he could say to this girl. Hinata lingered, waiting for him to say something.

"Hinata… As the Hokage… I have a responsibility to my people. To make sure that they are… happy." She nodded warily.

There hadn't been many instances where they had met before; her Byakugan and this mission. But… she had always wondered. About the Kyuubi. About this powerful beast sealed inside her, and she wondered. Who had done it – and why? She thought she knew, but she wasn't sure. So she kept it back in the farthest corner of her mind. And now the Yondaime was speaking to her, asking if she was happy.

"Hokage-sama…"

"Hinata, Konoha is a wonderful village. It is, I believe. I think many people think the same way. But… it's not perfect."

She sighed. "Yes," she agreed softly. "I know that."

"And… as the Hokage, I think I'm doing an okay job. But not perfect. Nowhere near perfect." Her silence spoke volumes, and Minato shut his eyes, praying that he didn't mess this up. He owed her this much, at least.

"Nobody's perfect," Hinata said suddenly, and when he looked at her, she smiled somberly, eyes luminous in the firelight.

"There's not much I can say to you. There's not much I could say to someone like you… someone who has probably lived a life completely different from mine. So I'm sorry. I wish I could have experienced just a little of what you've been through, if only so I could say I understand."

Looking back, Hinata decided, this would probably seem strange. She, a nobody Genin was talking with the Hokage. He was apologizing to her. She thought she knew why. Neither of them had mentioned it, and neither of them was completely sure the other was talking about the same thing. But that was okay. Looking back, this would probably seem strange. But right now, it seemed perfectly right.

"Thank you," Hinata said. His eyebrows tilted in surprise, and she said, "Thank you, for giving me this opportunity… and for keeping Konoha safe. That's all anyone could ever ask of you.

"Nobody's perfect… But…" She hesitated, but plowed on, feeling braver and more scared than she had ever been in her life. "I think if I had to choose, I would want you to lead our village."

Minato smiled warmly and laughed softly to himself. "Thank you."

Finally, Hinata stood and retreated to her tent, leaving Minato to reflect on this strange, brave young girl who was beginning to take her first steps into the light.

--

"We're almost home!" Naruto cheered, raising his arms in the air triumphantly.

"Less than a day away from Konoha, now!"

"We would almost be there by now if the dobe had actually decided to wake up this morning," Sasuke said.

"Geez, Sasuke." Naruto groaned, shifting his pack. "I said I was sorry! Besides, it wasn't like you came to wake me up. You probably drugged my food or something!"

"Naruto-kun." Hinata sighed. It had been a restless night for her, as she kept repeating Yondaime's words in her head. She wasn't completely sure she hadn't been dreaming – but it was nice, in a way. She almost felt as if he was apologizing for something he didn't do, but felt responsible for. It was nice, receiving an apology.

"Stop."

The entire team froze suddenly. The entire forest had gone silent, and the breeze stilled. The Hokage had stopped them all, his body tensing as he felt the adrenaline of an imminent fight pulse through his body, accompanied with the cold dread of who his opponent would be and what they would be here for.

As if from a mirage, two figures appeared, lithely and lethally, in front of them.

Black cloaks rippled with the nonexistent wind, and two straw hats lay discarded on the ground.

"It seems there's no point in hiding anymore, is there?"

In an instant, Hinata felt three things happen at once:

The whistle of a kunai splitting the air as it traveled towards its enemy, carrying more than just a sharp blade.

The vicious, gut-wrenching scream of Sasuke as he hurtled towards his ambition.

And Hinata felt the end of everything she had ever known, as her world came crashing down around her.

* * *

Xue: Ooh… cliffie. Please review! Because even if I keep writing, reviews are very motivating (as well as nice little reminders to update :P)


	8. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

Summery: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

Author's Note: I told you I'm a slow updater… Sorry? But for those of you in the US, Happy Labor Day! No school ;)

* * *

**Unparalleled **

**Chapter Seven**

Minato was gone in a flash. Yellow Flash of Konoha, they called him. It seems that even years after the war, he still lived up to his name.

Sasuke was screaming still, overcome with a hot rage the moment his eyes saw the three black commas rotating in a sea of blood; the blood of his mother and father and family.

He had immediately known who it was – he hadn't spent five years remembering, remembering the blank, crimson eyes and the emotionless, painful voice of his brother only to freeze when he did see him. Sasuke wasn't nearly ready to kill his brother, but he would be damned if he didn't try.

Swiftly, his path was blocked by another, more intimidating figure. Minato stood there, partially in front of Sasuke, eyes fixed upon his opponents.

"Stay back."

His teeth gritted, holding back a sharp retort. No, he didn't want to stay back. But he would. Because there was that sound in the Hokage's voice – one of a ninja. One that knew years more than he did. So he stayed back, and retreated slightly next to Hinata and Naruto.

"Yondaime-kun… You're being very impulsive today…" The shark-like man grinned. "You should know best that attacking hastily could lead to many… accidents."

Minato smiled a little half-smile in response. "A shinobi rarely asks before attacking. And I know enough about you…" his eyes darted towards the other, silent man, "to know that you're dangerous."

"So you've heard about me. I'm so pleased."

"Hoshigaki Kisame, missing nin from Kirigakure." The Hokage paused, as if contemplating every reaction to his next words, before saying, "And Uchiha Itachi. Missing nin from Konohagakure."

Hinata inhaled sharply. _Uchiha_? _Konohagakure_? Sasuke-kun… he had no family, she knew. Like her, he lived alone. But – who? This man that bore a striking resemblance to him and shared the same name. Who was he? Why had Sasuke reacted so violently to his appearance?

"…_I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to… kill a certain man."_

She paled. Not now. Not now; not so soon after they had become a team.

But the battle had already begun, and there was no turning away from it now. All that was left to do… was wait.

A thick, ripping sound penetrated the air and scraps of mutilated cloth fluttered in the air. The Yondaime stood, fairly indifferent as Kisame held up his legendary sword.

"Samehada," he said, grinning as he wielded the sword. "It doesn't cut…" he added, and his lips stretched unpleasantly. "It shaves."

"One of the legendary Seven Swords of the Mist, held only by the Seven Swordsmen?" Minato smiled pleasantly. "Good for you."

Kisame laughed loudly, swinging Samehada in a wide arc. "Ha! Itachi, let me take him. I haven't had a good battle in a long time."

Itachi eyed him and raised an eyebrow. "For now," he said and stood a half step back from his partner.

In a blur, the Yondaime rushed forth.

Drawing out a kunai, he swiftly moved towards his self-proclaimed opponent. Kisame watched him approach, unconcerned. It wasn't until the last second that he swiftly evaded a possible attack.

"I'm disappointed, Yondaime-kun," he said, appearing a few steps away, Samehada still firmly in his grip. "I expected something more exciting from the legendary Yellow Flash. Are you holding back – or are the years getting to you?"

Itachi watched silently, internally processing every move they made; every slight shift in Yondaime's stance could spell disaster if they were caught off-guard.

Of course, Kisame was no pushover.

As if reading Itachi's thoughts, the rogue ninja appeared suddenly in front of Yondaime, Samehada ready; it sliced quickly through the air, catching a stray scrap of fabric, which fluttered feebly in the air.

Hinata gasped unconsciously. She had, at first, been completely frightened of the swordsman himself, but now she couldn't help but wince at the sight of that sword, thin sheets of deadly metal layered over each other until they formed a terrible sight. She was scared; admittedly, flat out scared that this would end up badly, that the Yondaime's years of being Hokage during peace would have softened his skills.

As if appearing from a dream, Minato emerged from behind Kisame.

"Fuuton: Kiroi Shippu."

A blinding whirl of wind whipped around the area. When it cleared, Kisame was gone, and only a few drops of water remained. .

"T-Tou-san…" Naruto hesitated, breathing deeply, eyes wide. "Did… Did you-?"

"No," the Yondaime said quietly.

"Hah. So you knew?" Kisame's voice resonated through the area.

Minato snorted softly to himself. "As I thought. The entire time you were fighting with a water clone."

"Suiton: Bakusui Shoha."

An avalanche of water surrounded the area, flooding the land. The three Genin instinctively stumbled away as they watched the waves of water settle, just beyond them. Minato stood, having easily navigated himself on top of the water, now standing there, watching the figure just off to the side.

Kisame materialized, the real Samehada hefted across his shoulder, resting lightly.

"Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu."

The water lifted and shaped itself into a monstrous shark, charging swiftly at Yondaime.

Minato tensed, waiting as the water barreled at him at an alarming speed. He had encountered water jutsus numerous times before; it wasn't like he was unfamiliar with them. But it was easy to tell that this one was infused with considerably more power and speed than any he had fought before.

At the last minute, just seconds before he would have been destroyed by the water, the Yondaime expelled a concentrated amount of wind-based chakra from his hands, directing it towards the center of the shark. It split smoothly, the jutsu falling apart as it succumbed to the swift power of the wind chakra. The water crashed back into the pseudo-lake, shuddering as it accustomed itself back to its surroundings.

Kisame watched, completely unconcerned. Typical water jutsus had no effect on the famed Yellow Flash of Konoha. No surprise there.

Itachi stared. Both were clearly holding back, neither wanting to provoke the others true power. The fight had gone on long enough.

"You're such fools."

Yondaime stiffened and drew back slightly, absently wiping a drop of sweat from his face.

"Why would you say that?"

Kisame laughed, and looked over at Itachi.

"They still really have no idea, do they?" He turned back to Minato. "Think, think about why we came."

"Why…" His eyes narrowed. "I have an idea. But please, enlighten me."

"We're not interested in you, Yondaime-kun. You, or your kid or the other boy."

Sasuke's eyes flashed sharply. So. His brother had come, come back, and it had nothing to do with him. So. He was that insignificant in his brother's eyes – the eyes he had once run after for completely different reasons.

Naruto frowned. Not his dad… and not him… and not Sasuke? He may not have gotten the best grades at the Academy, but he could still figure that –

Minato bit back a yell. He wasn't sure if she knew – he wasn't sure if he wanted her to know. For twelve years he had lived, with a shadow of guilt and doubt gnawing at his mind, a figure with wide eyes, tearful eyes as she cried for the lives that would be lost and the sacrifice a child would make. For twelve years he had waited, knowing that fate would eventually lead him here, knowing that he couldn't run from the monster he had created. In that moment, he felt like he would do anything to rescue her, to save this child from the burden he had thrown across her shoulders.

_Hinata!_

Hinata's breathing quickened. His words… the words of that powerful, frighteningly so, shark-like man… did they mean…?

"We came for one thing. The Demon."

She gasped loudly, a strangled, fearful, jerking cry. In that moment, her chest tightened, and her throat felt dry, hoarse, as that one word slammed into her with the force of the hate it contained, the years and years of pent-up frustration and sorrow and agony. Hinata touched her cheek, and she couldn't tell if the moisture she felt was a cold sweat of fear or a tear.

_Demon? _Naruto looked at Hinata as she let out a choked cry. Demon… demon… why demon?

"That's stupid," he said, without quite realizing it. "Hinata's not a demon." He froze suddenly, when everyone glanced at him, and the shark man smiled.

"Not a demon?" Kisame snorted. "Not too bright of a kid, I see."

"Kisame."

"Yeah, Itachi-san. I know. Don't take it too far."

"You can stop there, as far as I'm concerned," the Hokage said, eyes darting back towards Hinata, who stood, eyes fixed on Itachi and Kisame, her fingers clenching and twisting around each other unconsciously.

"No, no… Didn't you learn, Hokage-sama… that the longer you keep a secret… the worse it is when it comes out?" He shrugged, swinging his sword absently. "It's been… twelve years that this one's been festering – let's slice the wound open before it infects."

"It's been twelve years," Itachi said. "Twelve years since that night of disaster, of death. Twelve years since the last of the Bijuu were sealed. Twelve years since a girl was born."

_Me_, Hinata thought dimly.

"Kyuubi Kitsune, the Nine-tailed Fox, the most powerful of the nine Bijuu, attacked the Fire Country twelve years ago. It was fought by our great Yondaime-kun." Kisame shifted his sword, the others staring at him in uneasy anticipation. "Would you care to finish the rest?"

Minato exhaled, his breath shortening as Hinata turned to him, her eyes wide. He couldn't remember the last time he had experienced this sickly feeling in his stomach, one that made him fell absolutely wretched and despicable, one of hopelessness.

And then he remembered.

The last time he had felt like this was twelve years ago.

"Hinata…" His voice came out scratchy, and he coughed, not wanting to mess up his last chance. "I… I'm sorry. Konoha… Konoha was being destroyed. And… I knew only a newborn baby would be versatile enough to adapt to the Kyuubi's chakra. I'm sorry…" He couldn't bear to meet her eyes, and he couldn't even think about what his son would think of him from now on.

"I've watched you, for twelve long years, and I've never had the courage to say anything. I don't deserve…" The powerful Hokage stopped, and he swallowed painfully.

"T-Tou-san… I don't understand." Naruto's eyes swung from Hinata to his father. "Hinata… what about Hinata? What do you mean, twelve years ago? What about this Kyuubi?"

"Naruto-kun." Hinata's voice stopped his rant. When he looked at her, she gazed back with sorrowful, pain-filled eyes. Her voice was gentle and weary. "Twelve years ago, when I was born, the Kyuubi attacked our village. Your father… Your father sealed the demon into me to defeat him." She looked over to the Yondaime, and he stared at her, eyes wide and remorseful.

"No… You mean…" Naruto was frowning, his breathing erratic as he tried to process all this new information.

"You are a Jinchuuriki," Sasuke said. Hinata winced and looked at him.

"Sasuke… Sasuke-kun… I-I'm sorry…" Her voice faltered as he turned away from her to stare again at Itachi.

It explained a lot of things, Sasuke thought. Her unusual power, the strange stares she received from the villagers, the Hokage leading their mission, her lack of a family… Perhaps even her eyes. Sasuke frowned – it did not, however, fully explain why his brother was here.

"My family!" Hinata said suddenly. "H-Hokage-sama, please… I… I must have had… a-a family. What happened…?" Her voice trailed off when he shook his head sadly.

"Well, this is touching and everything," Kisame's voice cut sarcastically through the four, "But shall we get on?"

Minato turned to him, and shook his head. "What a callous way of revealing such a thing. You never even stopped once to think."

"What we thought about," Itachi said. "Was our mission. Kisame."

The shark-like man laughed in response. "Right, Itachi-san." His hands came together, Samehada deftly held so that they provided no burden.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu."

A small cyclone lifted from the water and ripped through the four, tearing them apart. Yondaime braced himself, leaping to the side, watching as the Genin staggered away, sloshing clumsily through the water and being blown away by the force of the wave.

His teeth clenched; it was a precarious situation here. Three inexperienced Genin who were all just happening to be going through some sort of traumatizing experience, against two of the most infamous ninjas of their generation.

_Well then_, he thought with the smallest of grins. _The only way to get the initiative in the battle would be to attack first. _

And really, there was nothing else a trained ninja could do in this situation.

So that's what he did.

"Kenkaze!"

A blade of wind lifted around Kisame, surrounding him completely, whipping through him.

Kisame teleported away in a puff of smoke, appearing just beyond the cyclone of wind. He advanced on Minato, swinging Samehada in a wide arc. Minato avoided the blow and retaliated with a volley of kunai and shuriken. Kisame batted them away easily, taking a half step backwards.

At that exact moment, another stream of weapons cascaded from above. Kisame looked up and snarled briefly; he should have expected a trap from this. Seamlessly, he performed two jutsus at once – a simple Replacement technique and a complicated water jutsu.

A wave rose up around Minato. His eyes narrowed – this one seemed unfamiliar; at the very least, it had something typical Suiton jutsus didn't. He waited, as the water rose above him creating a circular wall that surrounded him.

Naruto let out a yell – he knew his dad was the best ninja, but he had never seen the Yellow Flash in a battle before. Never a real one, never one as real as this. He looked around him. Sasuke was distracted, completely engrossed with glaring at his brother, his fingers twitching and his body tensed. Hinata was still sopping wet, unable to keep her balance and unfocused, her concentration slipping as her eyes darted around, from the Yondaime to her teammates.

He had never felt so useless in his entire life.

As the walls of water came crashing down, Minato was frowning, and his eyes were furrowed in intense concentration. Something was wrong – something was supposed to happen, he knew. The only question was…

A few droplets of water lingered in the air, slowly raining down upon the Hokage. Still drenched, he didn't think about the last remains of water, and prepared to leap away.

In a sudden burst of energy he moved, only to find his movements inhibited. He twisted, attempted to summon chakra, only to find his reserves low and his reflexes sluggish.

"Araimasu Suiton."

"So the water is fused with chakra to cling and wash away energy and chakra." Minato smiled coldly. "I see."

"You're trapped, Yondaime-kun…" Kisame said, pulling Samehada into a ready position as he approached the Hokage.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puffs of smoke surrounded the area as dozens if Narutos' popped into existence. They rained down upon Kisame, yelling loudly in unison.

Minato's eyes widened; when had Naruto learned Kage Bunshin? And since when did he have enough chakra to perform such a high-level Jutsu? He smirked; Kakashi… he had become such a troublemaker… though he had a penchant for noticing talent. He supposed he would have to thank his wayward student once they returned.

Hinata watched in horrified amazement as Naruto jumped towards his father and Kisame, activating the Jutsu he had spent weeks working on. A trembling smile spread on her face; he had known he could do it. She had always known that he was something else, someone different.

_Naruto-kun! Be careful!_

Sasuke's head snapped around to watch as Naruto leaped away from the three to confront Kisame.

_He stands no chance… _But, he supposed, he would pray for him still. When his head turned back to face his brother, he found nothing there.

_No…_

"Foolish little brother… Your teammate has such a high-level Jutsu, and his showing courage in the face of danger. What have you proved so far…?"

"Itachi…" Sasuke snarled as his eyes focused on the menacing figure, suddenly in front of them. Behind him, he heard Hinata yelp in dismay. She began to move away, instinctively, but hesitated as she reached for Sasuke.

"S-Sasuke… kun…."

"Go," he said. "This is… my battle."

Hinata paused, biting her lip. She felt so useless; Naruto had found the bravery to save his father and Sasuke was now confronting this other man. Both their opponents were after her.

"I-I-"

"This is my fight! Don't interfere!"

Swallowing painfully, Hinata nodded, hearing the underlying pain in Sasuke's voice. As she darted away with one last glance towards the both of then, she prayed for their safety.

Sasuke turned his head back to the man before him. Ignoring any small talk, he raced forward, hands moving in the familiar seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."

Itachi watched, unconcerned as the flames sped towards him.

"Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu."

A small torrent of water doused the flames, and Sasuke scowled. He charged at Itachi, not caring anymore. Not caring about his team, or the other ninja – only his once-brother, standing here.

As he approached him, Itachi lifted his knee slightly a let out a swift kick, slamming his foot into his brother's stomach. Letting out a choked gargle, Sasuke was flung back, hitting a nearby tree harshly. Panting, he stood again, eyes crazed and intent on his brother.

He couldn't see, he couldn't think. All he knew was that the man he wanted to kill was in front of him, and –

And he couldn't do anything.

It was endless; charging, screaming, yelling. Itachi blocked his every attack, continuing to punch him, kick him, and throw him away uselessly.

He doesn't even bother enough to…!

"Let's end this." Itachi eyed his brother coldly before putting his hands together and sealing rapidly. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu."

Small bursts of flame shot at Sasuke. He breathed heavily, watching them, dodging, then stumbling slightly and waiting; moving as they approached. A few stray ones caught him, and he doused it in the water before moving on.

Itachi watched. It was no problem for him to continue fighting. Sasuke's body was already becoming slower, and his reflexes had a harder time reacting. However…

There was something about his movement. Something that allowed him to predict the fireballs. Itachi's eyebrows rose slightly in half-surprise. He sped up the fireballs.

And we'll see what happens…

Sasuke panted. It was clear where this battle was heading. But still…

Focus.

Concentrate.

_Move! _

A particularly large flame sped towards him, and the Uchiha started, moving quickly to avoid it, falling ungracefully to the ground. His head was lowered, but his eyes were wide. His breath came in short gasps, but there was a new energy in him.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were red.

_Sharingan! _

"Foolish little brother…" Itachi tilted his head, eyeing Sasuke with identical eyes. "Is this the first time you've activated the Sharingan? Weak…"

Sasuke stumbled to the water and stared at his reflection. Red eyes, burning with the power of the Uchiha and the hate for his brother stared back at him. His head turned slowly towards Itachi.

"Uchiha… Itachi… I've waited for this day. I've _lived_ for this day." His eyes blazed as he stared his brother head-on. "For the day I would kill you!" With a final burst of speed, Sasuke charged at Itachi. The older Uchiha grabbed his arm, twisting it violently, before kneeing him in the stomach.

Blood dribbled out of Sasuke's mouth as the pain filled his head. Pain that was more than physical; pain that came from being weak, from having trained for years for it to only come to this.

Itachi slammed Sasuke against a tree, holding him by his neck, eyes dark.

"You are weak. Why are you weak?" Itachi leaned forward, as if confiding a terrible secret. "Because you lack… hatred." He drew back, and then slowly opened his eyes, revealing three vicious black tomoe.

Sasuke's eyes flew open, the Sharingan having disappeared. His world spun, before blackening and then turning a terrifying color.

The color of blood, the color of hate.

The sky turned a dark, cruel crimson that was chillingly familiar.

And then he knew nothing.

--

"Ah, Yondaime-kun… What will you do now?"

Kisame smiled at the blond ninja. Minato scowled heavily, breathing heavily, quickly dodging another blast of water.

Naruto was trapped inside a bubble of water, pounding at it futilely, yelling and choking on his words.

_Damn, _Minato swore. He could only think of one other battle in his life where so many of his precious people were in such perilous danger, and no other times where he had faced such deadly opponents.

_Naruto, you stupid boy. _

Hinata was behind him somewhere, he could sense her. He prayed that she wouldn't try and mimic Naruto's actions to help him; he couldn't deal with that right now, especially since she was the one they wanted.

Sasuke was fighting Itachi; "fighting" used objectively. Minato grimaced – that was likely the worst situation, considering the past between them and the dismaying difference in abilities. He knew something of the Sharingan, but less of the Mangekyo. He did know, however, that it was not something he'd like to be on the receiving end of.

In his distraction, Minato never noticed the disturbance in the water underneath his feet. He never noticed how Hinata was watching both fights, tears falling from her eyes as she felt that overwhelming despair, hate and hopelessness.

"Tell me," Kisame said, pointing Samehada at Minato. "Why do you fight so hard for a demon?"

Demon.

There it was.

That one word that dictated her entire life.

That one word that would bring villages to ruin and great leaders to their knees.

That one word that would end up destroying everything she loved.

Sasuke, fighting against his brother, fighting for his family.

Naruto, fighting someone he knew he couldn't beat, but doing it anyways to save his father.

Minato, who still protected her, even as she existed as the cause of all his misery.

Hyuuga Hinata, who stood there, watching as the ones she loved most wasted away slowly, too cowardly to make a move, too afraid to cry out.

"Why?" she whispered, eyes darting around frantically, glistening. "Why? Why… Why do you call me a Demon?" she sobbed, letting out a fitful, agonizing cry as she hunched, falling to her knees.

There was something inside of her, something that cried and screamed; that longed to be free.

Since she had young, Hinata had never spoke out, never cried out, and never complained. She had never been strong.

_She wished her voice wouldn't tremble so much._

… _she had no intention of being yelled at again. _

…_stumbling along behind the group, as if she didn't belong…_

_**She was such a freak. **_

She glowed, pure chakra illuminating her being, before it slowly darkened.

Slowly, a vicious red chakra began to surround her. She cried out, and when Hinata's eyes opened, the brilliant white had given way to a sinister color.

The color of blood, the color of hate.

The color of a demon.

* * *

Xue: Well, that's one heck of a chapter. And goodness - another cliffie! So hey, review, and I may be induced to update faster next time. No, really. And below are some jutsu translations for those of you who are dying to know. Reading through the chapter again, I think I may have missed a few, but here's most of them.

**Jutsu Translations:**

**_Fuuton: Kiroi Shippu_** (Wind: Yellow Hurricane)_  
Suiton: Bakusui Shoha_ (Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave)_  
Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu_ (Water Type: Water Shark Blast Technique)_  
Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu_ (Water Type: Great Waterfall Technique_  
**Kenkaze**_(Blade of Wind)_  
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ (Flame Type: Powerful Fireball Technique)_  
Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Water Drowning Technique_  
Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_ (Flame Type: Mythical Fire Flower Technique)  
**Bold indicates self-invented jutsus**


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: If only…

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Eight**

_ Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit…_

Minato immediately swerved, watching as the red chakra enveloped Hinata. His breath shortened as the fearsome creature reared. His chest tightened, watching the sweet girl he knew crouch, her body succumbing unconsciously to the power inside.

In that instant, he was transported twelve years to the past…

_Hold it here until the Yondaime arrives!_

_Don't let it get any closer to our village! _

_Is this the only way? _

_A baby! A newborn baby! _

_It's the only way… _

_PLEASE. _

_There's nothing left to do. _

There's nothing left to do.

But fight.

He heard Kisame retreat behind him, breaking the water prison surrounding Naruto. The boy gasped, stumbling away, splashing though the water.

"H-Hinata… T-Tou-san, what-"

"Go. Get Sasuke and get out of here." There was no room for argument in the voice of the strongest ninja in Konoha, but Naruto hesitated.

"B-But… Hinata…"

"Get Sasuke and leave!" Stupid boy. He loved the kid, but this was something he wasn't ready for. Minato lowered his head, letting out a soft sigh as he heard Naruto hurry away. No distractions. There had to be nothing that could deter him from his goal.

The vicious red figure lowered its head, eyes flashing, wide and feral as they stared around. The chakra flamed, increasing, and then, she bolted, quickly. Feet slammed heavily and swiftly onto the surface, remnants of chakra smoldering in the water. The creature charged, heading towards some unseen target –

And then was knocked aside by a pulse of energy. She let out a wounded cry and then was back up again, snarling angrily. Clearly visible inside was Hinata, completely transformed from before. She wouldn't hesitate, at this point, to hurt anyone or destroy something, but…

It was still Hinata.

Minato leaped away, acting defensively. He kept those words as his mantra, repeating them over and over in his head as his body instinctively moved away from her attacks. A part of him, a part of him that he would likely regret later, wanted to attack, wanted to unleash the full power of the Yondaime Hokage on the Kyuubi. But a larger part warned him that if he did so, he would never forgive himself. Because, even though he had fought the Kyuubi twelve years ago, the one that faced him now was not nearly the same one.

He had to contain her somehow. He had to calm her down and force the Kyuubi away, or the demon would gain dominance of her body. And then nothing would stop it.

The Kyuubi let out a wail and dashed towards him. Minato gathered chakra, and made to teleport away, but tendrils of furious red chakra extended, lashing around him.

Inside, Hinata's eyes glowed, blank and empty, her face contorted into a painful, agonized expression. The chakra surrounded her, enveloping her body, as if it were protecting her, even as it ate away at her soul.

A laughing face molded itself in the chakra, briefly – and the Yondaime started. It was gone instantly, but he could see it, all too clearly – from that disastrous night years ago and now here, mocking him with all his weaknesses.

You may have won the first battle…

_But can you win the war? _

Thin blades of chakra whipped at him, and he winced, blood staining his uniform. Twisting, Minato broke through her grip and bounded away agilely.

"Doton: Doruki Gaeshi."

Rock sprouted out, breaking apart the water and forming a solid barrier between him and Hinata. It wouldn't serve as much but a distraction-

Chakra sliced through it messily, dirt and rock flying everywhere.

He ducked again, twisting and moving swiftly, completely on the defensive. How he would force the demon away, he didn't know. He just had to stall until he could.

"Now."

"Suiton."

The water underneath the Yondaime trembled, and erupted suddenly. Waves of water cascaded everywhere, infused with the killer intent of chakra and given free reign to devastate and destroy. Large waves crashed around as smaller, focused blades whipped and sliced.

Hinata's eyes sparked suddenly, as the chakra receded slightly. Her eyes widened all of a sudden and she gasped, immediately swallowed by a wave. The demonic red chakra subsided briefly and a strangled cry sounded through the area.

Minato's eyes narrowed. Focusing his chakra, he split the water temporarily and dashed through it, the water crashing back down behind him.

Ducking, he raced for Hinata and reached for her, when a smooth, concentrated stream of flames sped for him. He avoided it narrowly, and turned. Itachi and Kisame were watching him.

The three eyed each other, waiting.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu."

As the torrent of water spun towards him, the world swirled.

"Genjutsu."

Minato snorted softly. He prepared to attack back, when a sudden sharp pain cramped his stomach. Leaning over, he coughed, blood spurting into his hand. Staring at it, he knew suddenly what it was.

A wound, received from the Kyuubi's chakra. The demonic chakra apparently held more viciousness and killing intent than he had anticipated.

"You're trapped, Yondaime-kun…"

He struggled briefly, but he had been through enough battles and wars to know when he was at a disadvantage – he knew what would happen. He knew what would happen if he rushed blindly into battle.

Someone would die.

And he wasn't about to let any more of his precious people die.

No matter what.

--

Hinata watched, detached. She could see what was going on now, but she had no idea what had happened. A red haze covered her eyes and blurred everything – she could see destruction, damage, and the Yondaime facing those two other ninjas. But of course, she had no idea what had happened.

And of course, she had no idea what she was doing.

She shut her eyes tightly, and let out a small despondent sob. The last thing she remembered was that overwhelming despair. Her life had flashed quickly, as if to remind her how meaningless it was, how little she had to live for. And then –

Nothing.

Hinata bit her lip, suppressing another tide of emotions. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

She was falling, desperately.

_Fool. _

Oh no.

_Don't deny it. _

What's happening?

_LISTEN TO ME. _

And then, suddenly, there was blackness, all around her. Hinata squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.

_No one up there can hear you. _

Her eyes snapped open. Where was she? Where was that voice – that cruel voice? Right now, all she could see was a hallway, a long, empty, dark hallway.

_That's right. Follow me…_

Hinata paused, and then her eyes darted behind her, and for a moment she could almost see the destruction being wreaked outside.

So she chose.

And she began to walk.

--

It was a gate. Her lips curved downwards slightly. She had found, at the end of the hallway a gate– a large, rather intimidating gate, but nevertheless just a gate.

Until a tendril of red chakra extended from behind the bars and a sinister voice called to her.

_Come closer, kid. _

In that one moment, her heart stopped. She didn't breathe. She didn't speak. She couldn't move.

My god…

_Ha…_ The voice rasped with a dark chuckle. _Are you dumb? _There was a flash of red inside and yellow eyes sparked briefly. Hinata recoiled. She exhaled; her throat was dry and she coughed.

"I…"

_So you're the one that keeps me holed up here. Worthless. This is a damnable seal, keeping me here. If I could break out… _

"A-Are you…" She yelped softly when his claws scraped against the bars of the cage loudly. "K-Kyuubi…"

_Who else would I be? _He demanded. _Stupid girl. You have too many emotions. Too many human traits. They make you weak. _

Her lips tightened. She had been called many things, had been hated by many people. But never had anyone come out and called her weak.

Weak.

She was already damned.

Already an outcast.

A freak.

But after that battle, after seeing those dearest to her be crushed…

She refused to be weak.

_Refuse to be weak, eh? Is that what you wanted to say? _

Hinata started, staring at him fearfully.

"H-How…"

_I've been a part of you for twelve years…_ He snarled. _Cooped up here for twelve long years – after all, isn't that why they call you a Demon? _He laughed.

"Twelve years," she whispered. Her heart immediately dropped. Twelve years, she had this beast inside of her, and yet…

"Why?" His yellow eyes leered at her questioningly. "I-I… W-Why… did you…" She choked. "For… twelve years…"

He paced restlessly, and then slammed himself against the cage again, thin wisps of chakra coiling out, tempting her.

_That damn man you call Hokage…_ He grinned at her cruelly. _You can thank him for your twelve years. _

She stared at him. "Ano…" What should she call him? Kyuubi? Kyuubi-san? It was ridiculous, thinking about this right now – she thought she was going slightly insane.

But then, if she thought about that, she would have known that no one would have blamed her.

"Kyuubi…san…"

He glared at her, and she bit her lip, her fingers twisting together.

_Talk, then. Thanks to your wretched Hokage, I have nothing better to do. _

"For twelve years… I-I was… so…" She sighed, her white eyes dropping to stare at the ground.

"Lonely."

She looked up to stare at the monstrous creature. "You…?"

He laughed brutally. _I'm a demon, you freak. _

Demon.

Her lips quirked somberly.

"So was I."

A sudden, sharp pain tugged at her. Her breath catching, the girl fell to her knees. She twisted her head to look again at the Kyuubi, as her vision blurred.

The last thing she saw was a pair of yellow eyes staring at her.

And then the shadowy depths of water.

Gasping, Hinata was dragged out, chakra pooling at her hands and knees to support her on the water.

_Oh no… Oh god no…_

There was debris everywhere, sunken in the water and sticking out. Bright red stained the liquid, thick clouds of crimson twisting around in the water, moving towards her as the water rippled.

To the side, on dry land, was Naruto, heaving, and trapped. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were wet. He refused to look anywhere but the ground. Sasuke was next to him, stirring, breathing erratically, as a raspy cough escaped his lips.

Standing, completely ignorant, on the water, was Itachi and Kisame. Slow pulses of chakra glowed at their feet as they observed the ruins of their rampage nonchalantly. Kisame was smiling, slowly, Samehada dripping with blood.

_And… _

Minato.

Her heart stopped for a moment, and she could almost hear the Kyuubi laughing at her. Sickened, she looked down at the scarlet water and let out a devastated whimper.

There were ragged slashes in his body, dripping with raw blood. His arm was positioned awkwardly, and was messily wrapped with torn, dirty cloth. His blonde hair was muddy, wet, matted down with dirt and blood; hanging in his face, sticking up around his head haphazardly. His face was pale, scratched and bruised, a painful grimace stretching his lips. Bright blue eyes, which had once surveyed them all with calm and experience, were half-closed, dull and traumatized, as they flickered around in resignation.

Before landing on her.

Something sparked, and Minato half-stood, half-lay in the shallow water. It was clear he had put up a fight; Kisame was not without injuries, and Itachi was eyeing the man with a tense balefulness, as if confronting an opponent that had not been easy to defeat and would not be easy to keep down.

Their eyes shifted to look at her and she shivered as Kisame's smile widened. Naruto paused, and slowly his head lifted. Cerulean blue eyes, glistening with fear and despair, widened upon seeing her. He leaned forward, as if about to say something, and his mouth gaped in frantic dismay. No words came out.

And, Hinata thought, she might not have listened anyways, too focused was she on the intent look of the rogue ninja.

In that exact moment, she heard three things: the low chuckle of Kisame, the pitched grating laugh of Kyuubi, and the unbearable silence of Itachi.

In the next moment, she saw three things: the flash of stained red as a sword was drawn, the glow of chakra as it crackled with power – and droplets of water, flying in a delicate arc, before they splashed, rippling briefly before disappearing, as if they never existed.

In that same instant, as the world spun dizzyingly and time slowed agonizingly, she felt just one thing:

Devastation.

She cried out, sinking to her knees as a shocking pain spread through her body. But as she looked down, her eyes widened and it hurt even more – it hurt, and she knew why, but she didn't know why she couldn't do anything, couldn't move, couldn't even speak and…

Minato half-stood, his eyes trained on Itachi and Kisame, determined. He had blocked any attack –

But had not saved himself.

Her mind froze, and dimly she could hear a distraught voice screaming hoarsely, water splashing around her. Naruto kneeled beside her, submerged in the water, and shook her violently.

"H-Hina- Hinata…!" He let out a wail and then his hands dropped to his father, tugging him out of the water, struggling and crying all at once, not fully realizing what had just happened.

"T-Tou-san…" He grasped at his father's face, shaking his shoulders, pressing at wounds.

"Naruto…" Minato looked up at his son and smiled gently. "I… I'm sorry. So-" He cut off abruptly, coughing as blood trickled down the side of his face. "So sorry…"

"For what?" Naruto demanded, pointedly ignoring the tears that were rolling down his face. "Hinata's fine, and you're fine and I'm fine and baka Sasuke is-" He cut off abruptly and turned, socking Sasuke in the arm roughly, sniffing loudly as he yelled at him almost incoherently.

"Y-Yo, Sasuke-teme…" A choked sound escaped as he spoke. "Get up, baka. S-Stop sleeping… lazy…"

The Hokage snorted softly and would have rolled his eyes under any other circumstance. "He's up, Naruto-kun," he said, as Sasuke groggily rolled to the side, waking up from one nightmare to another.

"O-Oi," he said, painfully sitting up. "What-" His voice faded as he began to take in the destruction surrounding them, and the two ninjas still standing on the water, watching them with little concern.

Itachi exhaled softly. He couldn't say that this had been a waste of time, but – It had certainly been enlightening. The Uchiha would have smiled, had he been the kind of person to do so. What had started as a simple reconnaissance mission had turned into a full-fledged battle between him and his brother (who he had been invariably disappointed in, not even having to activate the full Mangekyo) and then the Yondaime.

"You're a fool," he said. "Nothing. You still understand nothing."

Though the words were directed at the Yondaime, Sasuke tensed, as the familiar voice from his childhood drifted towards them.

"What we came here for… was not th e girl."

Kisame smirked, knowing where his partner was going. "What we came for was information." He sighed gustily, mockingly. "Had you simply ignored us…"

Letting their words linger, the two left, the water where they had been previously standing rippling calmly before settling.

And then, the rain began to fall. It drizzled slowly, gently, almost as if to comfort them, before reverting and pounding at them, numbing and mocking and hurting and it was the rain of the skies, the tears of the gods, and the manifestation of everything they couldn't say.

Out of the distance, out of the aching silence that foreboded nothing, one last phrase cinched the pain and gripped at the hurt, clinging and echoing throughout the clearing, ringing far above the fall of the rain.

"Your death was a meaningless one."

"Meaningless?" Minato chuckled softly, coughing as he did, his bright yellow hair in sharp contrast to the mud surrounding them. "Meaningless. Feh. N-Naruto… Sasuke…" He sighed. "Hinata."

She heaved, and collapsed, clothes muddy and wet with the rain. "I…" It didn't matter anymore; the regret, the sins of years ago were gone, they didn't matter anymore. The rain was meant to cleanse and revive, but it soaked her, leaving her with sodden clothing and a heavy heart.

"Meaningless. That word means nothing," Minato said. "Remember… If you leave this world with no regrets… then no death… no death… is meaningless."

Sasuke was silent. _No regrets. _That's what he would have to do from now on. He was sick – so sick of people dying in front of him, sick of that man upending his life time and time again. Looking down at this man that had saved their village and saved him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity, of sorrow. There was no shame in stopping while you were ahead.

Hinata sobbed noiselessly. Everything, _everything_ was going wrong. _It wasn't supposed to be like this._ What could she do…? Cry? Scream? Fight? She couldn't regret. She was already crying, and she had never been one for screaming. Then, all she could do was… fight? Fight like he had, and fight like she would.

Naruto clung to his father desperately, rocking and protesting and coughing and crying. One hand reached up to grab at his yellow hair – _so like his father's_ – and steady his head. All his life he had known only one person: Tou-san. His mother had died long ago, and so many people couldn't see past the brilliant blue eyes and blond hair that was so much like his father's.

And now…

Rain, fall.

_To hide our tears and give us solace._

Rain, fall.

Before the morning rises and sheds light on reality.

It was raining.

--

It was not an ordinary day.

The morning was clear; if not sunny, certainly not dark.

By all accounts, it should have been an ordinary day.

The completion of another mission and the return of his team.

But, it was never an ordinary day.

Not for Hatake Kakashi.

_I'm the last. _

The village had wasted no time in carving the great Yondaime's name into the memorial stone, immortalized forever. It stood there, for everyone to see, no larger than any other name – and in a few years, no more meaningful than the other names.

It wouldn't be long before the Hokage name was passed down to another, and all that was left of Minato was the Hokage Monument.

Kakashi stood, in front of the memorial stone, hands shoved inside the pockets of his black outfit. The entire village had been swathed in black today, cloaked with the heavy despair of the loss of their greatest hero.

"Yeah, yeah… I know… I'm late…" He wasn't quite sure who he was talking to now. "Sorry. I'll be on time tomorrow." He never was. "There was a special on instant ramen today." He always made up excuses, even when no one was around to hear them. "A new flavor." He then talked about meaningless things, for nothing else.

"But… If this new flavor is popular enough… then they'll stop selling the old one. My usual one." He smiled bitterly. "I think I'll miss it."

Kakashi exhaled softly. "I should have expected this, shouldn't I have? Everything changing… With my luck, as soon as I start to like this new flavor, they'll change it again."

To anyone else he was talking about ramen.

To those who were listening he was talking about life.

He turned and began walking away, towards the funeral. They would call him late, as usual.

But no one would know that he was the first to begin grieving.

--

"The funeral for the Fourth Hokage… who lost his life in battle… will begin now."

The wind blew, whistling a mournful melody, ringing with the distant echo of the Yondaime's power. The sun dimly lit the day, throwing faint shadows around the town as the sky was painted a bleak gray.

The flag was lowered to half-mast, swaying gently. Surrounding the tribute were figures clothed in black, their faces a mix of contorted pain and sorrow.

Standing at the front, in a grief all his own, was Naruto. As the Yondaime's son, he had been given privileges at the funeral. To those who looked at him, he was crying. To those who thought about him, he was dying.

The Sandaime stood, a figure of strength and composition amongst the rest. He sighed, lazy rings of smoke drifting away in front of him. As he watched the people of the village approach the tribute, there was a faint twinge of resignation. There was something numbing about outliving so many people – of watching people grow up, and then watching them die.

He was really too old for this.

There was a picture of the Yondaime, seated on top of the tribute, smiling still, proud – or perhaps mischievous. The prodigious ninja had never quite lost that streak of laughter and youth in him that had so endeared him to people. His eyes were blue with life and strength, and the vigor of being young and on top of the world.

It was a sharp contrast to the downcast eyes of a boy who had just lost everything.

"Kid."

Naruto bit his lip, his eyes tearing furiously. That voice… From the time he was a kid, he couldn't ever remember a time when that guy wasn't around, either in his stupid stupid books lying around the house or his stupid big white hair or his loud and stupid voice or… or…

"Jiraiya-sama."

The great Sannin frowned. He couldn't remember a time when the kid had actually called him by his name, much less "sama".

"You came to see him, right?" Naruto struggled with the words, squeezing his eyes shut, keeping his voice purposefully bland. "Go already."

Jiraiya retreated slightly and approached the tribute. Minato's picture grinned up at him; as if he was telling his perverted sensei that he had once again mastered a Jutsu (or gotten the girl).

"Yeah, I know, I was supposed to go first, right, Minato?" Jiraiya set a white flower down. "But you were always the reckless one, the brave one. The one who would give anything for the people he loved." The white-haired man almost laughed. "It's a surprise I'm not in your place, considering all the times I had to chase after you and save your behind."

There was a flash in his mind of him, years younger, and Minato, looking the exact same as he always had. They were arguing, as usual, and Minato was showing off again, and Jiraiya was bragging and exaggerating again.

Minato was graduating, becoming so much, unlocking the potential that had always been there.

Minato was falling, falling towards a life he had never quite dreamed about with a woman he had never quite known, but was all that he had ever wanted.

Minato was smiling, grinning, proud and exhausted, and bringing into the world a new life that had the exact same eyes as his father.

Minato was covered, covered with blood and pain and doubts, and holding a baby with eyes like the moon.

And here was Minato again. Stuck inside a picture, that never ending grin etched in the memory of Konoha forever.

"See you, Minato."

The genins approached the tribute, in a train of black and naivety. In succession, they laid the flowers down, reflecting on the Yondaime Hokage.

He was always a great leader…I want to be like him… Strong… Determined…

_He didn't die for nothing… _

_He left us something… something important. Something to be cherished…_

_I'm sorry._ Hinata gently set the flower down. _I never meant for this to happen. I'll do better, I promise. For everything you left to us… _

_For everything you died for. _Sasuke put down the flower. _For everything you died for, I'll remember that. Nothing will change…_

_Except for us. _Naruto swallowed painfully, his fingers playing with the flower, unwilling to part with it. _Nothing will ever be the same now, not anymore. _

_Did I make you proud of me? Did I do anything worth being proud of? The next time I see you… _

_**I'll go to you with something worthy of what you sacrificed for us. **_

--

It was not an ordinary day.

The sun was falling, drifting towards the horizon. Naruto lay on the roof of the Hokage mansion.

Jiraiya climbed up and stood, just behind him.

"Didn't think I'd find you here."

He shrugged.

"You should be inside, kid."

He shook his head.

Snorting, Jiraiya hauled him up, one hand digging at his shoulder.

"Cry, kid. You're a genin, right?" When Naruto nodded, Jiraiya snorted in reply. "You're not a ninja yet. You're a kid whose dad is dead. Cry. Yell. Scream. But stop pretending it's okay."

Naruto stared at him, and then shook, his eyes welling up with tears. With a garbled sob, he threw himself at Jiraiya and buried his face in the thick jacket. Distant memories from his childhood drifted through his mind, but every time he remembered a flash of yellow hair that wasn't his own, the tears poured faster.

"Okay, okay, kid… You can stop crying now…"

Jiraiya pushed Naruto away, and the two sat down, Naruto a bit unsteadily.

"So what are you going to do now?"

The blond boy scrunched up his mouth. "I…" He looked towards the Hokage Monument, the sun framing the large stone figures. He winced and looked away quickly as he caught sight of the cracked Fourth Hokage.

"I'm going…" He inhaled deeply and burst into a tearful grin, tears rolling down his cheeks even as he spoke. "I'm going to be Hokage."

Jiraiya nodded. It made sense, he supposed. It wasn't like the kid was a genius, but he wasn't bad.

"That's what your dad told me, twenty-five years ago." Jiraiya snorted suddenly and shoved Naruto. "A scrawny kid like you, Hokage? Keep dreaming."

Naruto looked at him, eyes wide and then turned back to the sky, back to the eternal protectors of Konoha.

"I will."

And the rain did not fall.

* * *

Xue: Well, I actually meant to update on Naruto's birthday... and then it passed, without me realizing it. So... happy birthday... Asuma? oO Well, it is his birthday, so show some respect for the dead, everyone! ... Uh... right.

With this chapter, this arc has finally been wrapped up. There's not much more left, and if you want, keep checking our profile for updates. Next time, we'll probably include more about the direction this story is taking.

**Jutsu Translations  
**_  
Doton: Doruki Gaeshi_ (Earth Wall)_  
Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Explosion Skill)


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: Nada.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

* * *

**Unparalleled**

**Chapter Nine**

"This is a slight dilemma."

"Just slightly."

"Stop joking, this is serious! Who knows what might happen?"

"Nothing, unfortunately."

"Why-"

"Nothing's going to happen to them."

"I just don't-"

"And how are you all!"

"You're here. Finally. You're late."

"I was merely-"

"We were deciding what we would do about them. What might happen to them."

Gai flashed them a brilliant smile, and struck his signature pose. "With my team there, you need not fear that anything happen to yours – not with the superior guidance of my youthful students!"

Kurenai cast the green-clad Jounin a skeptical look and a sigh. "I suppose there's nothing we can do about it. We're needed by the Hoka-" She cut off abruptly and her voice was subdued as she said, "We're needed."

She and Asuma glanced at Kakashi, who was avidly ignoring the conversation in favor of his (orange) book.

Asuma exhaled a stream of smoke and sighed gustily.

"Let's go then."

----------------

"Aw, Kurenai-sensei… Do we have to?"

The dark-haired Jounin eyed her team. Sakura was hitting Kiba for complaining, and Shino stood next to them, the perfect picture of composure.

"I'm sure it's very important, Kiba-kun," Sakura said decisively. "Kurenai-sensei wouldn't leave us for something not… important…" She glanced at her sensei unsurely. "But it's strange, isn't it? To have four Jounins sent on one mission? All with teams? And then putting us together to train…" The pink-haired girl poked Kiba again. "_Some people_ I wouldn't trust without supervision."

Kiba scowled and swatted at Sakura. "You just want to see _Sasuke-kun_, don't you?"

Sakura let out an indignant squeal. "Just because-" Biting her lip, Sakura scuffed the ground, muttering about loud teammates.

Shino turned to Kiba and said calmly, "It would be wise to not anger her now."

Kurenai began to pray.

----------------

"Haha! And now I'll finally get to see some people other than these two!"

Asuma nodded lazily. He had expected that from Ino, who was currently prancing around in delight at being able to see "Sasuke-kun" and "Forehead Girl". Shikamaru propped his head up with his hand and frowned.

"Can't we just have the day off?"

Asuma laughed in reply. "Use your head, Shikamaru." He had yet to realize the full irony of his words before he plowed on. "A mission that requires four Jounins is going to take longer than a day."

Chouji nodded, and crunched another potato chip in his mouth. "It'll be fun," he said. "Seeing everyone again after graduating."

_And seeing just how much we've all changed…_

----------------

"Training?"

Kakashi was silent as he nodded in reply to Hinata's timid question. His team was staring at him, all in various forms of silence. Naruto scuffed the ground, his face a little sullen.

"Training? Do we really need to do it with them?"

Hinata glanced at him and her head lowered slightly. Once, she thought, Naruto would have leaped and yelled at the thought of training with all of his old Academy friends again. Right now, she knew lolling around and laughing with others was the last thing on his mind.

"Hn." Sasuke was mildly intrigued. He doubted there would be many from his graduating class that would interest him, but there was always that other Genin team that had graduated the year before them.

He was almost interested.

Almost.

----------------

"GAI-SENSEI! I SHALL PERSEVERE TO TRAIN WITHOUT YOUR EVERLASTING SUPPORT GUIDING MY PATH! AND I PROMISE TO-"

"If I was really mean…"

"-ENLIGHTEN THOSE UNFORTUNATE SOULS WHO DO NOT KNOW YOU WITH THE POWERFUL MESSAGE THAT YOU HAVE PASSED ON TO ME!"

Neji hissed quietly in annoyance and glanced at Tenten, who was lazily twirling a kunai around her finger.

"Gai-sensei," Tenten said. "Are you really leaving us to train with a bunch of random genin from another graduating class?" _And are you seriously going to let Lee loose among them? _

"But Tenten, my dear…" With a gleam in his eyes, the green-clad Jounin turned around to look at her. And promptly exploded into another sermon about the vigorousness of youth and the beauty with which it shone through his beloved students.

Squinting, the brown-haired girl wrinkled her nose and threw the kunai at a nearby target, hitting it with deadly accuracy.

It was going to be a long day.

----------------

The rain that had not fallen was doing so now, drizzling in the early morning fog and casting a gray, damp shadow over the village.

Hinata frowned, staring forlornly out her window. Today they were supposed to meet at Training Ground Ten, the largest and most versatile of them, with three other Genin teams. Since the funeral, the village had been in slight disarray, with no official leader and a shortage on ninjas.

Which left people like Kakashi-sensei to complete the missions.

Which is how she found herself standing around a large training ground with eleven other Genin, all awkwardly facing each other.

"So, our senseis were all sent on a mission."

"Yeah."

"And they decided that we should train together."

"Apparently."

Shikamaru rubbed his head, a bored, forlorn expression on his face. "Aii…" he sighed. "Troublesome."

"Don't be like that," Ino said, punching him in the arm. She turned and her face melted into a sugary smile. "Sasuke-kun! Don't wo-rry! I'm not bothered by being here!"

Hinata bit her lip and turned away slightly. She knew of Ino and Sakura's obsession with her teammate – there were few who didn't – but she also knew of Sasuke's intense dislike of their fanatical fawning.

"I see little use of us being here."

A white-eyed boy crossed his arms, face stern. "Although, as your elders, we must assume leadership."

Naruto squinted, frowning. "Ne, are you Hinata's brother or something?" When he stiffened, refusing to reply, Naruto plowed forth. "'Cause you have the same eyes. And, I don't know about you, but I don't see too many white eyes."

A brunette with twin buns perked and grabbed Hinata. "You're right! Hey, Neji, you never told us you had a sister."

Hinata was flushed, and she weakly shook her hand out of the girl's grip. "G-Gomen… I-I'm sorry, I d-don't have a brother."

"Yeah," the other girl laughed. "Neji would make a pretty terrible brother."

"O-Oh, n- no, I didn't mean-"

"I'm Tenten, by the way. And this stick in the mud is Neji. You're Hinata, then, right?"

Hinata nodded, and was about to speak, knowing it was only polite, when a green blur rushed past her.

"I am Rock Lee, the beautiful Green Beast of Konoha! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The poor girl stammered in response, bowing hesitantly. "Ah, you must be kin to my teammate." Hinata withdrew at his words when the strange boy leaned in further, his beady eyes scrutinizing her closely. "You have the same eyes."

"No duh, Lee." Tenten pushed him aside and smiled apologetically at Hinata. "Sorry about that – Lee gets a little overexcited about stuff."

Neji let out a derisive snort and turned away.

"Twenty laps."

Lee let out a cry and immediately began running, but the rest of the Genins paused uncertainly.

"W-What? You mean all of us?" Sakura looked around when Neji turned to them, eyes piercing. Hinata almost took a step back as she realized that this was what it was like facing the Byakugan (even if he didn't have it, even if it wasn't activated).

"We were sent here to train, and you will do as I tell you." A vein throbbed in the corner of his eye. "Now. Twenty laps."

----------------

"Psst! Hi-na-ta!" Ino and Sakura grabbed hold of her arms and dragged her towards the edge of the training field.

"S-Sakura-san? Ino-san? W-What-?"

"Hey, hey, you're on Sasuke-kun's team, ri-ight?" Before she had a chance to reply, they plowed forth. "So, so – what does he like? What does he do? Who does he talk about?"

"I – um – I – no one, I suppose…"

"No~?" Sakura let out a bemoaned sigh. "And I was so looking forward to this training session!"

Ino sniffed. "W-Well, you know… he's probably just too embarrassed to talk about me; he probably wants to keep me close to himself!"

Sakura's green eyes flashed and her lips turned, leering at the blonde girl. "Yeah, right." She turned to Hinata, her hands clasped together as she said, "He has to have said my name before, right? Don't be afraid of hurting Ino-pig's feelings or whatever!"

Helplessly, Hinata shrugged. What was she supposed to do? Lie? Offer them lavish words of praise coated with deceit? Ino and Sakura were arguing now, hissed whispers rising to indignant squeals. Hinata broke in hesitantly, almost afraid to speak.

"A-Ano… maybe-"

Ino and Sakura rounded on her, eyes gleaming with the look of a predator. "Ye-es, Hinata-chan?"

Squeaking, Hinata knew she'd have to be the cleverest prey ever to safely work her way out of this. "W-Well… I could… put in a good word for you…" She almost began to back away as she said this. The two girls had never paid her too much attention back at the academy, so she was nigh helpless in dealing with them right now. Quickly, she slipped away as the two girls called after her to not forget to talk to "Sasuke-kun!"

Quietly, Hinata made her way back to join the others in training when something bumped against her leg. Looking down, her eyes caught sight of a small white puppy, eyes wide with insatiable curiosity as he barked, whining softly and trotting around her leg. His pink tongue lolled, partially sticking out his mouth, and his lips stretched, showing off sharp canine teeth.

She smiled, leaning down to stroke his white fur. When he let out a gusty breath and wagged his tail, she pulled back her hand, staring at him with fearful, almost hopeful eyes. Slowly, Hinata reached down again and lightly scratched him behind the ears. Giggling, she stroked his fur again, running her fingers gently through the luxurious, thick fur of a dog that was well-loved.

"Yo, Akamaru!"

A boy came running up, followed much more demurely by another boy, clad in a long beige coat and dark sunglasses.

"Hey, Akamaru – don't go nosing around other people." Looking up, the boy grinned at her, bearing a remarkable resemblance to his dog. "I'm Kiba – this is Shino." He indicated the boy behind him. "Hey, you're Hinata, right?"

_Oh no._ This was how all of the encounters today seemed to have started.

"Um, yes," she said – after all, it wasn't as if she could lie about her identity.

"Good, good…" Kiba looked towards the bushes where Ino and Sakura were still arguing quite conspicuously – not that anyone paid them much mind. Suddenly, he grabbed her and dragged her off in the opposite direction, to the other side of the training field. Whimpering, Hinata followed reluctantly, not willing to protest.

"O-kay! Hinata-chan, right?" She nodded, sighing faintly. "Have you talked to Sakura yet?"

Surprised, she looked at him and then glanced away. "I- um… how did you know?"

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, completely ignoring her question. "You're on a team with Uchiha, right? Yeah, of course you are…" Kiba mumbled something else to himself, absently toying with Akamaru's fur. Shino stepped up, eyes trained on Hinata (though with those sunglasses, it was hard to tell).

"Hinata-san, as Sakura's teammate and friend, we have a certain responsibility to watch out for her."

"A responsibility she'd kill us for if she knew."

"And as such, we'd like to keep her from associating with the wrong people."

Hinata swung her gaze between the two and said, "B-But I-"

"Sasuke's not right for her." Kiba shrugged, and looked as if he was about to say more when a loud voice broke in between them.

"Hinata-chan! What are you doing," Naruto turned his eyes on Kiba and squinted, poking him in the head, "with Kiba-baka here?"

"Heh, you shouldn't be calling me that, Naruto."

Naruto sniffed in reply and turned up his nose. "I don't associate with rabid dogs. Now," he grabbed Hinata's arm and shoved her to the side. _Not again… _she thought dismally as Naruto and Kiba faced each other, glaring with an old rivalry renewed.

"What were you doing with Hinata?"

"What's it to you?"

"I worry about anyone that talks to you."

"HEY-"

"Oi." A bored voice cut in, and they turned to see the rest of the Genins staring at them. "We're supposed to be training. If you want to fight, then spar."

"Ino-pig doesn't stand a chance against me," Sakura said, the two girls dragging themselves to the front of the crowd. Ino scowled and retorted sharply, the two girls breaking into a vicious banter, each declaring themselves far superior to the other.

Lee let out a triumphant cry. "The beauty of their infallible determination and strength shines like-"

"Shut up, Lee."

"Then," Shikamaru looked almost interested at this turn of events. "Kiba vs. Naruto and Sakura vs. Ino?"

"I can beat you any day!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"SUCH BEAUTY-"

"This is a waste of time…"

"You scared? You scared to face me?"

"You'll never have him, not with me around-"

Hinata let out a devastated sigh and looked around. Here, were all the people that she loved most, and here were all the people that she hoped to someday know and love. As they drifted towards the open training field, she smiled a little, and followed them.

----------------

Sasuke stretched, and languished, slowly easing himself onto the branch of the tree. They were taking a break in training, and a small part of him welcomed it (the other part insisted on continuing).

It had taken a while, but after three days of training together, they had finally created a sort of harmony between them. It had taken a while, but they were finally working together in training.

Today had been fairly uneventful; warm-ups, weapons, taijutsu, chakra… Of course, nothing could compare to that first day, when they had been in complete disarray. No one had known each other that well after graduating from the Academy; they had split into their separate genin teams, and had been lax in training. Those two spars had culminated a mess of a day, but had resulted in nothing spectacular.

The pink-haired girl and the blonde girl's (was he expected to remember their names? something about flowers and pigs) fight had been interesting; somewhere in the middle, it had changed, and become more than just a friendly spar between friends (he wasn't a very good judge of friendship, but that had been what it seemed they were). By the end, they were both sore and weary, but smiling as they sat next to each other, sleepily using the other as a headrest (pah – weak).

The dobe and the dog's fight had been… weird. That was honestly the only way to describe it. It had started out ordinarily enough, but by the end they were all completely dismayed, and just a bit vexed with Naruto ("A _fart_! _How_ do you win with a _fart_?!"). Hinata had gone up to him, and like the open-minded person she was, had congratulated him and told him that she had believed in him the entire time – she tactfully did not remind him that he had been losing badly for most of the fight.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Get down here! You think you're so much better that you can just skip out on training?"

"Oi, Uchiha. Get your lazy butt out of that tree."

"We must all strive for a level of perfection that is-"

"S-Sasuke – you really should come down now…"

Smirking, he hefted himself off the branch and lightly jumped down in front of them. The leaves rustled faintly behind him, and a quiet breeze ruffled his hair.

A dozen fangirls squealed.

His lips were still twisted upwards, painting a haughtily elegant picture created by the perfect blend of genes and training.

A dozen fangirls fainted.

"Who do you think you're trying to impress? Teme."

Naruto glared at him and then turned, latching onto Hinata.

"Let's go! Let's go! Lee, show me that move again – don't be so stupid Kiba; Hinata-chan, spar with me!"

Hinata looked back at Sasuke and smiled a little, ruefully, before walking off with Naruto.

----------------

Hinata twisted her fingers and took a few deep breaths. Everyone else was off doing something else, talking and conferring loudly. The only person left that could help her was the only person she had spent most of the training session avoiding.

It wasn't as if she had purposely done it – most people would have avoided him anyways, even without their awkward beginning. He simply exuded that sort of aura, one that said that he was better than them and he knew it and face the facts you're not worth talking to.

It was a bit like Sasuke's had been, to be honest.

"A-Ano… N-Neji-san…"

The white-eyed boy turned to look at her, and then immediately turned his eyes – eyes that, she had to admit, bore a striking resemblance to hers – away from her.

It hadn't exactly been hard for Hinata to avoid him for these past four or five days. Neji hadn't exactly been seeking her out, and he wasn't exactly the most heartwarming person she knew, the kind of person that attracted people to him naturally. After that awful introduction on the first day of training, they had mutually decided to ignore the other and continue with their training separately. Which hadn't been very hard, all things considered – there were ten other people there, all of which stood out much more than they did individually.

But now, they had basically been thrown together, and so Hinata had taken the first step towards him.

"Train by yourself."

Blinking, Hinata withdrew and bit her lip. Without even listening to her, he had flat-out refused her silent request to train. Rebuffed, she shifted uncomfortably and looked away. Naruto was staring at them from across the training field and frowning. It took an idiot to not see that Neji had ignored and insulted Hinata, and, despite what they said about him, Naruto was still a notch above idiot.

Granted, he was gradually inching closer every day.

"Hey! It's not very nice to just ignore someone! Hinata-chan wouldn't do that to anyone, so-!"

Hinata whimpered in humiliation, squeezing her eyes shut. It was bad enough that Neji ignored her when she had reached out to him, but for Naruto to come over and act as her protector?

"N-Naruto-kun… I… I don't think that…" Exhaling, she squared her shoulders. "I think that… that maybe I… Naruto," she looked at him and smiled a little. "I think that I'll deal with this."

He scrunched up his face for a moment and then grinned at her, flashing a thumbs up. "That's the spirit!"

Neji regarded them coolly and shook his head. It was ridiculous that one idiot had suggested he be brother to another idiot. Disregarding the fact that he was already student of one idiot and teammate to another.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" he said, keeping his voice level and emotionless.

Hinata looked at him and nodded a little. "Neji-san, I… You said that we were here to train… s-so… since everyone else is busy, I… I th-thought that you could, perhaps-"

"For a ninja to stutter is highly unbecoming. With that sort of demeanor, you expect to survive in this profession?"

She frowned and looked away. It was terrible, she knew, that she was so meek. She had never been the most vivacious person, and even now she still stuttered. Throughout her years at the Academy, whenever those thoughts plagued her, she would constantly remind herself that it was not the personality that made the ninja – no ninja could _talk_ his way out of death – but the skill. She also reminded herself that with training, she would surely become stronger, faster, better…

Hinata looked away, head turned, and Neji took the opportunity to fully appraise the girl in front of him. This was Hinata – the Hinata that he had heard about before, the Hinata that had the same eyes as him… the only other person left with those eyes. Despite that, he knew that when he looked at her, he couldn't bring himself to say anything, or do anything. Over the past few days, he had begun to know her, understand her. He knew that she was shy, meek beyond belief, and not exactly the strongest person. She had no outstanding personality and was not popular, and she hadn't the greatest looks. People knew her, greeted her, but in the end, their eyes glided over her. All things considered, it was a great testament to his observation skills that he had learned all this about someone he had barely spoken to.

He had planned to keep it that way, and live life contently not having to know Hinata.

It appeared that his plans had been thwarted.

"I will spar with you, if that is what you want."

Hinata inhaled sharply. She hadn't thought he would actually accept – she had already been formulating a training plan for the day – a training plan that was to be done individually. And she hadn't even asked him more than once; they had both waited in silence and then it was Neji who made the first move.

"However, I urge you to not expect much of it. You are no match for me."

Perhaps he was blunter than she had expected.

"Now, come. There is no need to stall – unless you are afraid."

"A-Ano, Neji-san…" She hadn't expected this. She had more been hoping for a companion to train with; simple training, not a fight. She wasn't ready for a fight.

"A battle waits for no ninja," he said bluntly and stupefied, Hinata followed him half-heartedly.

As they approached an open clearing, they settled into battle stances. A thick tremor of surprise went through Hinata as saw his stance – a unique stance that she had thought partial to her only. She bit her lip and waited; if what she thought was true, then it should be now that he activated-

Neji rushed at her, striking swiftly and with little mercy. Yelping, Hinata ducked and retaliated instinctively, her movements sluggish in comparison. He moved with practiced motions, employing old reflexes to fight her.

Hinata moved around him, matching her fighting to his, not daring to go on the offensive. She could risk a few injuries to –

To watch.

He wasn't actually fighting _her_; he was fighting, yes, but not _her_. Someone who truly knew how to fight would analyze the opponent and adjust his fighting style to suit the battle; not blindly charge in and just execute a few fancy moves.

He was hiding something.

He forced a burst of chakra at her and she winces, stumbling backwards.

"Why do you not fight?" he said and his breathing labors. Neji breathes heavily once and looks away, a thick ponytail of black hair following every movement of his head.

When he looks back up, his eyes are different.

Neji's eyes stared at her. Familiar eyes. Eyes that she knew. Eyes that she had never seen but were intimately related to her. Eyes that reflected her own back at her.

"_A-Ano… Iruka-sensei… w-what's an… onii-chan?" The little Hinata blinked, eyes wide and luminous. Iruka stared at her in silence, before crouching down next to her. _

"_Hinata-chan… why do you ask?" _

_Immediately she turned her face to the ground, fingers grasping at each other. "W-Well… o-on the street…th-there was a girl and a boy and she said… she c-called him onii-chan… and… a-and they s-seemed so ha-happy…" _

_Her voice cracked slightly on the "happy" and Iruka could have sworn he heard her sniffle. _

"_Onii-chan means older brother, you know that Hinata." _

"_H-Hai… but… but Iruka-sensei… wh-what _is_ an onii-chan?" _

Hinata stared at Neji and his eyes looked back at her, unwavering and intense.

"Neji-san… do you know what an onii-chan is?"

His lips twisted skeptically. "An older brother," he said.

"Yes," Hinata said carefully. "But do you know what an onii-chan is?"

_Iruka nodded slowly. He knew that Hinata knew perfectly well what onii-chan meant._

"_An onii-chan… is someone who loves you and cares for you. He's someone who teases you mercilessly but despises anyone else who does the same. An onii-chan is the earth surrounding your roots. He is your blood, your brother, your protector. To call someone or be called onii-chan is one of the greatest responsibilities you can have." _

"Byakugan."

Twin Byakugans stared at each other and Hinata breathed slowly, carefully, and took a step towards Neji. He wavered, and seemed to be fighting with some inner self.

"Isn't Neji an orphan?" a voice murmured behind them, and Neji stiffened. His lips set and his eyes hardened, closing off. In one swift movement, he turned from her. Hinata inhaled, and her chest felt tight. His back faced her, a single, almost impenetrable wall. It was as if she had finally thrashed her way through a thick forest of vines, as if she had hacked away at that final branch, sunlight pouring upon her face… only to be greeted by a tower with no windows or doors and a prisoner unwilling to be saved.

And, to be honest, she wasn't much of a rescuer. A true knight or hero would have stormed forth and reached out despite everything. A true ninja would have challenged him to look at her, look at her eyes.

But she didn't.

Hinata watched as Neji walked away, the others scattering, whispering amongst themselves.

_But now she knew. _

She knew that there was something more to her past than just her. She knew that he knew more, more about her than she probably did.

_And a true ninja never gives up. _

Hinata watched him, and her eyes were unwavering even as his disappeared.

----------------

It was so easy to forget. Naruto stared out at the inky colors of the night. It wasn't so long ago that he had sat here as the sun set, hopelessly grieving the one thing that no one could stop.

But it had been so easy to forget that, to turn away and block it out, to laugh and spar and train with people that hadn't quite yet experienced that kind of despair.

But he had.

And he had seen Hinata, seen her with Neji, someone who could be her own if they both accepted their blood. (Not that he actually knew anything about it – he just knew that those eyes said something and they said that both wielders were stubborn people who could have everything they lost if they just tried.)

It had been less than three months since he had graduated from the Academy. In that time he had found the people he trusted most, and lost those he loved most. He had found so much; a brother, and a teacher, and friends.

He didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but he would worry about that tomorrow.

Inhaling deeply, Naruto stood up and yelled into the night, at the stars and the moon. He told them his dreams, his wants, his nightmares. He told them that he wasn't about to play along with Fate, but he couldn't wait to see what she had in store for him.

He told them a story of a girl and a boy and another boy and the people they had seen, the places they had been, and the future they were running towards.

He told them this, and the stars nodded, and the moon smiled, and the village slept, and time moved on.

* * *

Xue: Ehh... I've never liked this chapter. To be honest, It'd be nice to revise it or something, but... oh well. It's here mostly to serve as transition and introduce the rest of the Genin.

So Part One of Unparalleled is almost complete! I know that it's taken forever to get here, but there's just a little left to go! After the next chapter, we'll be taking a break (yes, an official break this time, not "we write slow" break) to plan and begin Part Two.

Thank you to everyone that's reviewed and read and stuck with us! It's painful, waiting for each chapter, but we're so grateful you still do!


	11. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: Haha. As if.

Summary: There are thousands of worlds in this universe. In this one, Hinata grew up as a Jinchuuriki, hated by most, shy and unconfident. Naruto was raised as the Uzumaki heir, arrogant and proud. When their lives cross, they'll find that some worlds aren't so different after all.

**

* * *

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Unparalleled

**Chapter Ten**

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly." The blonde woman looked at her assistant with careful eyes. "Call her in, it's the best thing we can do for her."

The brunette shifted and sighed. "I'll send someone for her then." She left the room, leaving the blonde alone. She sighed deeply and folded her hands together. Slowly Tsunade rubbed her forehead.

It had been just a few weeks since she had been made Hokage, since that brat of a kid had convinced her to come back to Konoha. Naruto, his name was – Minato's legacy and the most determined kid she had ever seen. It had almost been fun coming to Konoha just to see how he would fare. But… Tsunade pursed her lips and shook her head. The matter at hand was someone else, someone with just as much a sprit as him, who was being crushed and oppressed far more than he was.

"H-Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade smiled faintly and looked up. "Hinata-chan. Come in."

The dark-haired girl slowly pushed her way into the room and settled herself into the chair in front of her desk.

"Hinata… I have to ask you something."

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Do you love this village?"

Hinata started. What she had expected was a mission, or maybe a request to train harder, be better. Not some psychological, touchy-feely "do you love this village?". No one had ever cared that much about how she felt.

"Yes… I… I do l-love this village."

Tsunade frowned, and felt like shaking the girl (who was avoiding her gaze completely). It wasn't too often that she found someone who could actually look her in the eye and say with complete honesty what they felt. It appeared that Hinata was no exception.

"No, Hinata. You feel affection for this village. You would call it your home. You would fight for it, and you would eventually die for it.

"But you do not love it."

Hinata's heart lurched. She had absolutely no idea where this was going, what she should say or do. Did she love this village? Konoha hadn't done anything spectacular for her, but she had never felt anything remotely hateful towards it.

"I've watched you, you and Naruto and Sasuke. None of you – though perhaps Naruto – can look at me and say that you love Konoha. And I'm sorry, because Konoha does not deserve your love."

Tsunade inhaled deeply and settled back into her chair, crossing her arms and appraising Hinata fully. Hinata shifted nervously and poked her fingers together; all her old habits were coming back at full-speed in front of this intimidating woman.

"You… deserve more than this village, Hinata. So I want to give you more." Tsunade drummed her fingers, trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say.

"How do you feel about training? Outside the village?"

Hinata's head snapped up. Training? What – did she mean leaving behind her team, Team Seven? Leaving behind Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei? And… when she said training… Hinata had a vision, a sudden, sharp vision that knocked her back breathlessly – an image of her, older, and wiser and stronger and proud. Proud with everything she had accomplished.

Outside the village.

"Come in Hazuki."

Tsunade's voice broke her silence and Hinata turned slightly, watching as the door was pushed in, and a figure walked in.

The first thing she noticed was the reckless grin of someone who had lived her life on the edge and didn't know any other way to do so.

The second thing she noticed was her eyes.

Pure white eyes.

----------------

As Hinata retreated down the hallway, Shizune shut the door gently behind her. "Tsunade-sama…**" **The young woman shifted and sighed. "What did she say?"

Tsunade was silent. She looked out the window, out towards the horizon. "What can she say? I'm giving her a week. If she can think of a better idea, she'll think of it by then."

"Ano… This probably isn't the best time, but what about-"

"I know. I thought about that. And the only thing I could think of was to do the same."

Shizune's lips twisted. "But, wouldn't that be… strange? To send both of them away?"

Tsunade let out a short laugh. "They didn't choose me for my brains, obviously." The Hokage sighed and shook her head. "But honestly, you tell me what we should do. We have to get him out of this village. We have to get Naruto away from this place. Just look at him."

Shizune walked over and they both looked down towards the nearby training fields. Clearly visible, as a splotch of bright orange, was the Yondaime's son. Clearly visible, even at this early hour, was the burden of these past few weeks.

"Just look at him. He'll kill himself if he stays here any longer."

_Jiraiya stood in front of Tsunade, her hands folded, the look of a Hokage already showing in her face. _

"_Why did you call me back?" _

_Tsunade was silent for a moment and then glanced out the window. _

"_That kid, the one that came with you to bring me back… his name's Naruto. He's Minato's son, isn't he?" _

_Jiraiya nodded and folded his arms. It wasn't as if that knowledge was confidential, everyone know that. Clearly she was building to something. _

"_I thought about coming back, you know? News travels fast, and the messengers managed to hunt me down in time. I could have been here for his… his funeral._ _The kid knows me, I know that. I came back a few times, to see Minato, see the village… but… _

"_He's hurting, Jiraiya. Every day, since we came back, I see him outside my window, and I see him training, on his own, all day. Alone. Sasuke's up in the mountains every day, learning some advanced technique from Kakashi now that he's mastered the Sharingan. And Hinata…" _Oh, Kami, Hinata…

_But she was dealing with Hinata already. The message had been sent and a reply received, and now all they could do was wait. Naruto, on the other hand, they could not wait on._

"Oi, kid, what are you doing here?"

Naruto turned and smiled half-heartedly. "Ero-sennin. What are _you_ doing here?"

Jiraiya shrugged and folded his arms. "Tsunade wanted me back in the village." Smiling smugly he added, "Guess she just couldn't keep away from me!"

"Baka," Naruto muttered to himself and turned back to his training, doggedly throwing another shuriken at the target.

The white-haired man leaned against a nearby post and watched. The shuriken whizzed through the air and hit its mark with deadly accuracy, but left undisturbed by another shuriken, landing far to the right. Swearing softly to himself, Naruto tossed another one, this one landing pitifully on the ground, bypassing the post completely.

"Naruto…"

"_I want you to train him." _

"_Me?" Jiraiya nearly laughed. But then he stopped; he had known Tsunade for years now (more years than either of them would like to admit), and there were times when she was drunk and luckless, and times when she was deadly and serious. "Why?" _

_The blonde Hokage shrugged. "You had some success with his dad; like father like son. And… at this time…" Tsunade tilted her head towards him and her eyes were solemn and frank. "At this time… who else can I trust?" _

_Jiraiya frowned at her. When she said it like that… did he really have a choice? Even he knew that there was nothing else they could do for Naruto right now. _

"Naruto… what would you say to becoming cool?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose and turned to regard him skeptically. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then thought better of it, turning away again.

"No really. I mean, becoming _amazing_. And you want to know how you'd do it-"

"No."

Jiraiya stopped and frowned at the harshness in the kid's voice.

"I don't want to be like you, Ero-sennin."

"Then what would you rather be?" Jiraiya let out a short bark. "Think about it Naruto. You told me, as you looked at the Hokage Monument, that you wanted to Hokage someday. You told me that you wanted to be someone worthy, that you wanted to protect everyone; Hinata, Sasuke and everyone else that means something to you.

"Train with me. I'll teach you, I'll help you."

Naruto grit his teeth. He knew that, had known it as soon as Ero-sennin had tried to subtly lead him into it. But he had said no; he didn't want to be led on with pity and sympathy and the memory of his dad.

"I don't-"

"What do you want then? Do you want to stay here in this village, and watch as you spiral downwards, consumed and sheltered by these walls? You won't go anywhere if you stay here; you know that. You have to overcome yourself before you can overcome any outside obstacles."

_You have to overcome your father. _

"Think about it, Naruto."

_Jiraiya sighed heavily and frowned balefully at Tsunade. Tsunade hesitated and then exhaled. _

"_If you can't, or just won't because of some stupid perverted reason-"_

"_I'll do it." _

_Tsunade stopped and squinted at him. She folded her arms and nodded slightly. _

"_Good." _

----------------

Sasuke leaned over, one hand resting on his thigh, panting. His eyes glared at the boulder in front of him, large craters smoldering with electricity-charged chakra. He had spent days up here, alone, training. Team Seven had virtually lost all contact with each other.

Hinata watched him from the side. It had taken her a while to find him, but finally she had tracked Sasuke up to the mountains. It had been days, weeks even, since they had properly spoken to each other.

They couldn't leave it like this.

"Sasuke."

He stiffened and turned, regarding her blandly. "Hinata."

Hinata pressed her lips together and sighed. She fidgeted and her fingers twisted around each other as Sasuke waited.

"Sasuke," she said finally. "Would you mind… if we talked?"

And so they found themselves, at Ichiraku, silently eating ramen.

_How ironic,_ Sasuke grimaced as he forked some noodles into his mouth, _that we're here without Naruto. _

Hinata glanced at him. Ichiraku was the first place she had thought of, and she figured she might as well provide dinner to compensate for dragging Sasuke away from his training.

But, they were already here. And so she might as well do what she had wanted to do.

"Sasuke… Thank you."

He looked at her in surprise. Hinata had laid her chopsticks across her bowl of ramen and folded her hands in her lap. Her white eyes were calm and serious as she looked at him.

"Sasuke… Three months ago we were put on a team together, and since then, I have loved being with you and Naruto. The three of us… we're alike, I suppose. We're all alone, in our own way. And Naruto is lucky, but you and I…" She smiled weakly at him, and he nodded slightly, understanding what she meant.

"Together, I think we've found a family, all our own." Lightly, Hinata hopped off her stool, and laid a few coins on the table. "Oji-san, thank you."

Sasuke slowly followed suit and stood. Hinata took a step forward and then glanced back at him. The raven-haired boy paused and then followed her. Smiling, Hinata led him out onto the streets of Konoha.

"Sasuke," she said, after they had walked in silence. "Hokage-sama called me to her office today." He nodded, and had a sudden dread what she would say. A mission? But they hadn't been a proper team recently; was that what the Hokage had wanted to say? A lecture, about teamwork, maybe but-

"Hokage-sama introduced me to someone… someone else. And…" Hinata bit her lip and sighed mournfully. "Gomen, Sasuke. Tsunade-sama wants to me to train with her."

He frowned. It was a little disheartening; this almost official breaking up of their team, but it wasn't something tragic, by any means.

"Tsunade-sama wants me to leave the village."

Sasuke stopped. He turned fully to look at her, and Hinata shook her head pitifully.

"I haven't said yes yet, but I know Tsunade-sama thinks this is best for me, and, oh, I d-do want to, but Sasuke, what about… what about Team Seven?"

He was silent. Despite everything, all three of them harbored hopes to reconcile their broken Genin team. Despite everything, they knew they had been wonderful together – and happy together. Happy in a way none of them were now.

Sasuke forced himself to shrug. "Go Hinata. Do what you want."

She blinked, and her eyes reflected the uncertainty of his words.

"Sasuke-"

"Hinata. You and I are alike in many ways, but we are different in just as many. Despite everything, we are surprisingly different. Naruto is different from us in so many ways, but he is surprisingly alike. We are a team, but that doesn't mean we have to stand next to each other for the rest of our lives."

He smirked faintly and looked at her. "Go Hinata. The dobe and I will be fine."

Hinata pressed her lips together and almost felt like crying. But she knew that if she started to cry, Sasuke would look faintly disgusted and slightly worried and just a bit flustered, and then would turn away. And any minute now Naruto was supposed to come running up and greet them loudly, and he would be smiling like he hadn't smiled in what seemed like forever.

And for just a moment, they would be Team Seven again.

----------------

Naruto sat on his bed, his face buried in his hands. It had been hours since Jiraiya had told him his proposition.

Did he really need to leave?

There was no doubt that he'd become stronger if he left; despite everything, he knew that Ero-sennin was (to an extent) a strong ninja, who had trained an even stronger one (in his opinion).

_Training with him… _

_Would be a little bit like following in Tou-san's footsteps. _

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. Did he want that? He wanted to be like his father, a strong leader who could protect those around him. He wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be a figure of strength. And to do that, he wanted to be Hokage.

But did he want to be exactly like his father?

It was bad enough he looked exactly like him, but he would train with the same teacher, go on the same missions, and eventually live out the rest of his life the same… right?

What would Hinata or Sasuke say? What would his dad say?

_No. _

_You'll never be your dad. _

Sasuke would scoff and look away.

_You can only be Naruto. _

Hinata would throw him the sweetest smile and her eyes would know exactly what he meant.

_You can only be better. _

Minato would ruffle his hair and grin, because he had asked himself the same thing.

_And you want to know how you'd do it? You'd do it with me. _

Jiraiya would gesture towards the gates of Konoha and point towards the horizon.

Naruto let out a sigh and shook his head. It seemed that everyone wanted him out. Then he smiled, just a little, and looked out the window towards the setting sun.

So who was he to say no?

----------------

_It had been a while. _

Sasuke stepped across the cold, hard floors, nearly soundless in his stockinged feet. A faint smoke drifted behind him, and as he walked, he left the vaguest hint of incense in the air. The rooms were completely dark – _dark to hide the bloodstains_ – and the sky was an inky black – _instead of the blood red he remembered_. A single candle glowed in the room he stopped in, throwing shadows across the floor – and across the pictures resting there.

Sasuke kneeled slowly, and carefully avoided looking too long at the pictures. It had been years now, but it still hadn't been long enough.

He kneeled to them in silence. Silence was the one thing he could give to them. Silence instead of tears. Training instead of mourning. Revenge instead of forgiveness.

But what about his happiness?

Could he be happy if he was so full of hatred? When had he decided he didn't need happiness?

It had been a long time since he had first begun to shun the light, but what scared him now was –

Could he even be happy?

Now, even if he wanted to, even if he tried, was he even allowed to be happy?

He had thought so. He had thought so for the briefest second. He had almost smiled, almost had fun, almost had been alive for something other than revenge. Sasuke thought that he had almost been happy (not that he really knew what happiness was anymore).

He had thought.

He knew now that there was no point in _thinking_. There was no point in thinking about what might have been, what should have been, what had been. It was pointless to think. You could only act.

And if he had acted faster… if he had begun acting earlier, then maybe he wouldn't be having these thoughts now. If he had done something earlier, then would she still be leaving?

Maybe.

Maybe he just wasn't destined to have all those things that people think they're entitled to – a family, a home, friends…

Sasuke lifted his head and looked at his mother and father through half-closed eyes. It didn't matter too much; no matter how much it hurt, he could still see their faces every time he closed his eyes. So he might as well. Whenever he thought about them, _him_ or anyone else, he avoided using names.

_Uchiha Fugaku…_

_Uchiha Mikoto… _

…_Uchiha Itachi. _

He hadn't lived until that day five years ago, and he had stopped living that day. He would never have it back.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and snuffed out the candle. With a quiet sigh it went out, leaving a thin wisp of smoke trailing in the darkness, which came and dissipated just as quickly.

The moon was bright that night; round and luminous. It enveloped the village in a warm glow and cast a dreamy ambience on them.

But Sasuke stayed there, in the dark, and spent the night remembering everything he had done, and forgetting what he had learned, and knowing that nothing would ever be the same.

----------------

Hinata sighed, throwing herself on her bed.

_Should she go? _

_Or stay? _

_Should she be selfish or… _

Hinata bit her lip and screwed her face up. Either way, no matter what she chose, she'd be selfish. And that was something she had never been.

Should she go – and be selfish, by abandoning her friends in pursuit of her own dreams…

Or should she stay – and be selfish by clinging desperately to her friends, and continuously dragging them down?

_What do you want the most? _

Hiccupping, she grasped her head and let out a long, mournful sigh. It was times like these that made her resent most desperately her lack of a family. It was times like this, when she felt so lost and discouraged and confused and helpless, that she needed someone to turn to. Her fingers trembled as she tugged on her hair and remembered.

"_Go Hinata." _

Sasuke had told her to go, but Sasuke was looking strictly at her, and thinking strictly with the mindset he had built up for himself. Sasuke knew that, were it he, he would have immediately pursued power. And he had not thought of his own future, but her's. He had chosen for her what he would have wanted.

_Take two deep breaths…_

_What is your goal? _

"My dream is to become worthy."

Hinata smiled sadly as she quietly repeated the words she had said so long ago, back before she had really known Naruto and Sasuke, back before she had known the full extent of what she held inside of her.

They all had dreams. Hope. They all hoped for something, and wanted it more than anything. They all knew what the price was for dreaming.

And both Naruto and Sasuke were determined to pay it.

Hinata reached out and grasped the picture frame she had uncharacteristically indulged in; a simple, black wooden frame that she had taken a kunai to and carved two words into:

Team Seven.

The stylistic letters curled around a picture of the three Genin, and their sensei. Naruto, as optimistic and carefree as he had always been; Sasuke, with his half-smirk and cool demeanor; Kakashi, grinning at the camera, his visible eye closed like his other one would never be; and her. Hinata. Clothed in large, baggy coats, head tilted down, eyes just slightly upturned towards the camera.

Hinata tilted her head at the picture and closed her eyes briefly. In one quick movement, she stuck it back in its place and pushed it down.

This really wasn't helping her decide.

Leaning back on her bed, Hinata let out a slow exhale. For the past few months, she had strived to be like Naruto and Sasuke. She had worked so hard to try and live up to the standard they were setting. She had trained and cried and smiled because they were everything she wanted to be.

And now she knew.

She would never be them.

They were of a far greater quality than she was.

So the question was, if she wanted to be Hyuuga Hinata, not Uchiha-and-Uzumaki's-teammate, then what was she to do?

_Should she go? _

_Or stay? _

Or maybe she could go… and at the same time, always have a place to come back to in Konoha. And even if only Sasuke and Naruto would still be here, maybe that would be enough.

Because no matter what, they were Team Seven.

And Team Seven consisted of more than just Uchiha-Uzumaki-and-that-other-girl.

Team Seven was Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata.

She was a part of Team Seven, and they were a part of her.

No matter what.

----------------

Hinata busied herself with the dishes. She had always loved doing small busywork tasks like that – cleaning the house, cooking dinner, tending her plants… It helped keep her mind off of other thoughts. Thoughts that were decidedly more depressing.

A loud knock on her door startled her, and the wet plate almost slipped from her hands. With a soft gasp, Hinata fumbled at it, and set it down hurriedly. Wiping her hands, she walked to the door and unlocked it. Before she could open it, though, it flung open of its own accord.

"Hinata!"

She took a step back, as she realized who it was. "Naruto…?"

He paused, and scuffed his toe. His lips pursed and he smiled at her, just a little uncertainly. "Hinata… Can I talk to you?"

She blinked, and opened the door wider. "O-Of course! I mean…" She fell back, hands flying to her face as she began to hurry around the small room, picking up a few stray items and straightening piles of books and scrolls. "It's… kind of messy – but sit! Sit…" She trailed off and glanced at Naruto, who was still standing in the doorway, looking around at her small apartment.

Hinata blushed, as she remembered that he _was_ the Hokage's son, and was used to much grander mansions. No matter how humble or simple he was, he was still used to the luxury that she simply could not afford.

He smiled at her.

"I like it."

Her eyes widening, Hinata bit her lip and looked at him incredulously. She glanced down, feeling a content smile spread across her face. She should have known.

"I'll make tea."

When she came back, and handed him a warm cup, he was already seated on her worn, second-hand couch. Lightly, she sat down beside him.

"What did you want to tell me?"

He mulled her question over in his head before sighing. "Hinata… We've been through a lot together, haven't we? You, me, and Sasuke-baka. But…" He set his cup down and rubbed his head, looking around as if the answer would appear in the plain, whitewashed walls of Hinata's apartment.

She watched him as he did this, a dread filling her. Her hands trembled, as she worried over what he might say, and eventually, she too put her cup down, if only so she wouldn't accidentally drop it.

"Ero-sennin wants me to train with him. Outside the village." He looked at her, and he was smiling, but his eyes were uncertain, as if pleading with her to tell him that he was making the right decision. "I think I'll say yes – I-I'm pretty sure I'll say yes. But… But I wanted you to know first. You and Sasuke."

Hinata exhaled. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but surely not that. His situation… now that she thought about it, his situation was very similar to her's.

"It's a good thing, isn't it, Hinata-chan? Being able to train with a great ninja one on one, and getting to go to all those different places…!"

She smiled at him softly. How could she blame him? For making the same decision she was? She was many things, but not a hypocrite. "Yes, Naruto. It's a good thing…" Her lips pursed, before she said, "Such a good thing, that Tsunade-sama asked the same of me."

"Eh?"

"Tsunade-sama… There's this woman, named Hazuki-san. She's a great ninja, Hokage-sama says, and so… And so she wants me to train outside the village with her as well."

"I'm going to train." She hesitated, and then continued. "And I think you should too. I think that you have so much and… and that… if you try… you can …" She stopped, unsure of what to say. Can what? What did she think he could do? He may not have been Sasuke's equivalent in genius or her equivalent in raw power, but he had some crucial component that both she and Sasuke were missing.

His blue eyes flashed, and for just a moment she felt that she could see Minato in them. That man who had saved them all. Maybe that was what he had – someone to look towards, and run towards, who had guided him gently and positively.

Then again –

"Hinata. We're… friends. Right? We've known each other for a few months now and… it may not seem like a lot, but…"

Then again, ever since the formation of their team, all three of them had had each other to look towards.

----------------

Sasuke really wasn't sure how he had ended up like this. Walking around Konoha, eating (they were always eating with Naruto around – somehow food got involved in every situation they found themselves in), and Naruto telling him a story about three dandelions.

"Okay, okay – so these three dandelions, they were growing in the same patch, right? And so the dandelions got to be good friends, and they went through a lot of things, like thunderstorms and hungry rabbits and weed killers, okay? But they were still there, and still together, okay? Got it, Sasuke-baka?"

The Uchiha nodded wearily. "Yes, Naruto. I got it."

"Okay! So then one day a big, uh, daffodil comes! And she says to two of the dandelions, 'You have to go away now!'. And-"

Sasuke turned abruptly, stopping Naruto in the middle of his story.

"Hinata told me already. That she's leaving to train. Naruto, if you keep avoiding the subject-"

Naruto scrunched his nose up at him. "Got it, got it. Stop avoiding the subject. Got it."

Hinata watched them silently. She had no idea how Sasuke would react. She had no idea how Naruto would react to Sasuke. It was hard enough figuring out her own heart, better yet figuring out the people around her.

"What? So you're leaving too? With – who?"

"Ero-sennin! Jiraiya! That guy who wrote that book Kakashi-sensei always carries around."

"Why would you train with him?"

"He trained my dad!"

"Fine, fine…" Sasuke backed off, reluctant to fight with Naruto right now. He had too much on his mind to do that.

This was how it ended.

_He thought of everything they had been though._

Of everyone on their team, it was he who was left behind.

_He thought of what they had created together._

Of everyone they could have chosen, they chose Naruto and Hinata.

_He thought of who he had become thanks to them. _

He was alone. Again.

Sasuke turned and began to walk off. He had never been good at emotional confrontations, and he wasn't about to start now.

Hinata stared after him helplessly. She hadn't meant to have him leave that way. There wasn't much time left – she _couldn't_ have him leave that way.

"Naruto…"

Naruto shrugged exaggeratedly. "Eh… I'd probably screw it all up if I tried talking to him. You're better at this stuff than me, ne?" He tossed his head in Sasuke's general direction. "Hurry up."

Hinata nodded a little, and with one last glance at Naruto, hurried after Sasuke.

"Sasuke! Sasuke – wait!"

The Uchiha looked back at her, and paused, as she ran up to him. As she reached him, Hinata threw herself into a bow, bending over at the waist, much to the surprise of Sasuke.

"Gomenasai!"

He avoided looking at her. "Apologizing doesn't change anything."

"I'm sorry for that time I lost your shuriken!"

Sasuke stopped, and blinked at her incredulously. "Hinata…"

"I'm sorry for that time I tripped over the pile of leaves you raked and you had to start over! I'm sorry for that time I offered to treat us to ramen but I ran out of money and you had to pay! I'm sorry for that time I made bentos for you and Naruto and didn't know you were allergic to taro! I-I-"

Hinata took a large gulp of air before looking Sasuke squarely in the eye.

"But I'm not sorry for wanting to pursue my dreams!"

She breathed heavily, her heart racing at her outburst. As she realized what she had said, Hinata reeled back, her eyes widening with mortification.

"S-Sasuke…"

He rewarded her with a half-smile. "I'm not sorry for wanting to not break up our team," he said, in what was likely the most honest statement he'd ever made.

She smiled tremulously. "W-Well, I'm not sorry for wanting our team to be stronger." Her smiled faded slightly. "Naruto… I don't think he's sorry for wanting to become a good and proper rival for you."

Sasuke turned his face towards the horizon. "Don't," he warned, "make me sorry for letting you two go. You'd better actually learn something, whatever that dobe can actually cram in that head of his. And you… – thank you." He smirked at her before walking off.

Hinata let out a sigh. This time she felt no need to run after him. This time she could go home with a smile on her face.

This time she could walk out of the village with a calm heart and a content smile.

----------------

"Hinata-san."

She turned. Staring at her with obvious discomfort was –

"N-Neji?"

"I heard…" He was stiff as he spoke, and turned his head away slightly. "I heard that you were to train outside the village, and would be leaving soon." His eye twitched slightly, as if he had been forced into this. "I wish to speak with you."

Hinata blinked and sighed, just a little. She had never forgotten that one day, when they were training together.

"Neji-san-"

"I bear no ill will towards you, Hinata-san." His face was stiff and emotionless, but in his eyes, eyes that she knew well, she could see his anxiety.

"Neji-san… I-I think that there's a lot we need to talk about. And if… maybe… we could just… t-talk…"

"Is there? I find little use for idle conversation such as this." He gritted his teeth and looked around, looked anywhere but her. "I came only partially out of free will, as you likely know."

Hinata stared at him. She was feeling oddly courageous these days, and it surprised her. She wasn't about to question it though. Gathering herself up, she looked him square in the face and boldly spoke.

"But that still means there was free will involved."

"Very little," he replied shortly, and swiftly.

She wilted, and her shoulders dropped. There was little use in trying to persuade someone who had such ready defenses.

She wasn't done yet though.

"Byakugan."

As she looked around her with her bloodline limit activated, she spoke. "Do you know what this can do?" Despite knowing the answer to the question, she waited, and when he nodded affirmative, she continued. "It's a very powerful ability to have – but I think that, maybe, both of us are looking through each other, and not actually seeing anything. Maybe that's the problem, with having too good of an eyesight."

She held her breath. That was her limit, right there. She had no more fancy words or eloquent phrases – it was up to him now.

After a stretch of silence, Hinata deactivated her bloodline limit and bowed her head. It was useless. But as she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.

"Jyuuken."

His voice startled her and she turned back to him in surprise.

"Jyuuken. A taijutsu style that damages the chakra circulatory system. It requires the use of a bloodline limit that is able to see the inner chakra coils."

Hinata closed her eyes and smiled faintly. There was so much she had to tell him, so much that they could talk about. So much that they could share. But for now, this was enough.

"Arigatou, Neji-san."

As he walked away, she waited until he was almost out of sight before she pressed a hand to her heart and nearly collapsed on herself. That had taken more than she thought it would – and now she was curious as to who else knew that she and Naruto were leaving.

In another part of Konoha, Haruno Sakura let out a long, disbelieving wail.

"Naruto! You're leaving Konoha?" She frowned. "What about Sasuke-kun? And Hinata-san?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Hinata-chan's leaving too. She's going off to train – just like me! Demo, demo… I'm not leaving yet."

She cast him a sour look. "If you're going to leave, might as well just go. Don't stick around longer than you have to!"

Naruto grinned, just a little. He and Sakura had a strange relationship. When they were younger, he had crushed on her, simply because she was pretty and had a nice smile. As they progressed through the Academy, and Sakura became besotted with Sasuke, he had backed off gracefully into an almost-friendship.

"But… Hinata… Naruto, what's Hinata-san like?" Sakura brushed her long pink hair over her shoulders and fixed him with a questioning stare. "I never really knew her at the Academy, but she seems like a nice enough girl. But – there's something special about her, isn't there?"

Naruto grimaced. Sakura had been the highest scoring girl of their graduating class for a reason (written test-wise, at least). After that mission, and after a certain period of mourning had passed, the entire team had been called into the office. Tsunade, who was still adjusting to her new position as Hokage, had given them a long, overdrawn and very obviously scripted lecture about secrecy and village policy. She had ended with a pointed glare and a threatening fist before the Sandaime had intervened.

"_Don't speak of it, don't think of it, don't dream about it. No one is to ever know what happened on that mission, and if this leaks out, it'll be your heads." _

"A-Ah…" Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly. "Ah, Sakura-chan… Hinata's a nice girl. She's not a bad fighter either. B-But nothing… _special_, I mean… Ooh! Unless you mean her eyes; her eyes are really cool. Yeah, yeah, they do this freaky thing and then she can see what you're doing no matter where you are and-"

Sakura looked at him in disbelief. Naruto she thought she knew; Naruto the clueless, Naruto the dumb. Naruto who could care less what anyone thought of him. Naruto who was all of a sudden leaving. Naruto who, when he talked of Hinata, had a look in his eyes that she had never seen before and a tone in his voice that she had never heard before.

He was nervous.

And just a little shy.

Sakura pushed her pink hair over her shoulders and smiled. Naruto was growing up and going away –

But he'd always be Uzumaki Naruto, the guy who called himself the village's Number One Most Unpredictable.

And now he was grinning, so loud it was obnoxious, and running down the street, waving and yelling goodbye, and that Ichiraku would close soon if he didn't hurry.

So Sakura smiled, and waved back, until he was gone.

----------------

"Hi-na-ta!" A loud knock resounded through the small apartment, and Hinata winced, pulling the blanket higher around herself.

"Hi-na-ta!" The voice bellowed again, and the series of demanding knocks turned into heavy, insisting thumps. The door groaned painfully before finally bending, and a thick cloud of dust rose up from where it fell.

"HI-NA-TA!"

Steeling up her courage, Hinata threw back the blanket and was about to face her intruder, when a face leaned in close to her's. Yelping, Hinata scrambled backwards, reaching involuntarily for the blankets again.

The face leered at her. "Hi-na~ta~… I found you~"

"H-Hazuki-san, p-please… n-not yet…"

Frowning, the older woman shook her head. "Sorry, Hinata. I've already stuck around here for a lot longer than I ever wanted to." She stuck up one finger. "The first thing you've got to learn about being my student, is that it's always give and take. I understand where you're coming from, so I gave a lot more than I wanted to. Now it's time for me to take."

She thrust one arm into the air, flashing a V for Victory sign. "Pack your bags Hinata! We're leaving."

----------------

"So this is it then?"

"Yeah, you're really going."

"Come back safely, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled, as the cries of her beloved friends reached her, even at their distance. Slowly, she extended one hand towards the Hokage Monument, framing the majestic face of the Yondaime.

"Hokage-sama," she said, her voice barely audible even to herself. "I promise… I'll be everything you wanted your village to be."

She sighed to herself; Sasuke hadn't come to see her off apparently. She whispered a last goodbye to her teammate, and with one last look at her home, Hinata hefted her pack and prepared to walk away.

"Hinata!"

Panting, Naruto ran up to her. Bending over slightly, he took a deep breath.

"I-I-I… I won't say goodbye!" He burst out with those words, and shocked, Hinata recoiled, before her face melted into a smile. She leaned forward and pulled him up.

"I could never say goodbye to you."

"So… So hurry up!" Though he tried to regain his cool, there was a definite blush to his face, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Let's both do our best, okay?" Hinata beamed at him, the way she hadn't been able to for so long.

"Hinata! Hurry up!" Hazuki watched them from a ways off, a rueful smile on her face.

Blinking back sudden tears, she looked up – only to catch sight of a familiar figure perched atop the walls of Konoha, watching her.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, and he tilted his head forward, indicating the road before her. He was encouraging her forward, she realized, and her smile widened.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata nodded firmly to Naruto, and with one last look towards her other teammate, she began to walk away.

As she got farther and farther away from him, Naruto inhaled deeply.

"I'LL SEE YOU SOON, HINATA-CHAN!"

Hinata kept walking, walking towards their future, a smile on her face.

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

----------------

It was his turn now. Naruto watched as the group of people gathered around him, everything lost in a sea of emotions and words.

"Hurry up and come back, you dolt!"

"Learn a ton of cool stuff and show me when you get back!"

"Write us! And don't forget about us!"

"If you see Hinata, tell her hi from everyone!"

Hinata. It was his turn to follow her now.

"Got it!" He flashed them his famous grin, and began to run after Jiraiya, who was already waiting outside the gates.

Sasuke stood at the very edge, half-hidden in the shadow of the gates. He looked up apathetically and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get yourself killed," he said, and Naruto knew it was the closest he'd get to a goodbye. For a moment, he wanted to make a scene and cling to his teammate sobbing if only that it would annoy him. But he didn't.

Instead, Naruto kept walking, until he was just beyond him.

"Wait for us, Sasuke."

And then he ran forward, until he had caught up with Jiraiya. The blonde turned back and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"And don't do anything stupid!"

Sasuke twitched, but nodded, and Naruto grinned, and followed Jiraiya away from the village.

As they walked farther and farther away from Konoha, he looked behind him, and could still see the Hokage Monument, towering over the village. His father was there, and so was his goal.

_I'll be up there, next to the greatest leaders ever someday! _

_Wait for me!_

It was time to stop being a kid, and start growing up.

It was time to stop looking at the past.

Time had always been moving, but now it was time for him to start moving with it.

_"Let's do our best!"_

For now, they had to do their best, together.

And when they came back, they could be their best.

Together.

* * *

Xue: OMG PART ONE IS OVER. After, like, forever. We are extremely sorry about the long wait and beg forgiveness - but it's here, after forever, and I rather like this chapter, despite its choppiness..

So now that we've finally gotten off of our lazy butts to post this chapter, we'll be getting back on them. The past few months have been very stressful and busy for both of us, and we're going to take an "official" break in order to plan and start writing Part Two. Sorry

But thank you so much to everyone, I can't even begin to say how grateful we are! Stick with us, and we'll try and deliver :]


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